The GreenEyed Brunette
by Adrianna-Rossetti
Summary: Jealous Regina fic. Regina can hardly contain the green-eyed monster inside of her when she witnesses Emma with Graham. Emma was supposed to be her princess. A/U. Rated 'T' for language.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon a Time! Just borrowed a couple of the characters for a while.**

**A/N: My first FanFiction story so I'm excited! Please R&R! It would mean a lot. Thanks!**

Regina Mills' hands shook as her dark brown eyes glared across the street at the blonde riding in the truck with _him_. _He_ slid out of his seat and made his way over to the passenger's side. He opened the door, and offered his hand out to Emma. Emma grinned and stepped out of the truck, exposing her long jean-covered legs. She threw back her head back in laughter at something he said, exposing her long neck. Regina cursed. "Damn Graham!" Her eyes glittered with resentment. That should be _her_ offering her hand to Emma. Offering_ her_ jacket for the blonde to wear. Her thoughts were interrupted by Ruby coming over.

"What would you like Madame Mayor?" Ruby asked.

Waving her hand, she responded, "The usual. Apple cider."

Ruby nodded and strutted back to the kitchens. Regina frowned when she left. _Honestly. How long does it take for them to stop their childish games and come into the restaurant? _Her question was soon answered as the door dinged, announcing the presence of her deepest desire.

*****Flashback to earlier that afternoon*

"I have the photos you requested," Sidney Glass smirked, holding up a manila folder.

"Well?" Regina snapped her head up, her dark eyes appraising him for the first time since he entered her office.

"Um. Well," Sidney stuttered, trying to maintain control over his suddenly thudding heartbeat. _Damn. Those eyes. They're like-_

"Spit it out Sidney," Regina said rolling her eyes.

Sidney coughed, and blurted out, "Emma appears to be dating Sheriff Graham! I took several photos of them kissing!"

He looked proud of himself. With those words, Regina felt her insides freeze. She glowered at him, and he shuffled his feet.

"Get out," she spit out.

"What about my payment? I believe you owe me-"

"GET OUT SIDNEY."

Sidney didn't need any further prompting, and rushed out of her office, his heart sinking. _I love her. Why can't she see that?_

Meanwhile, Regina sank down in her chair, tenderly opening the folder. As soon as she saw the first picture, she slammed the folder shut and squeezed her eyes shut, willing tears not to fall. _Why oh why did it have to be Graham? She'd been infatuated with Emma ever since she knocked on her door with Henry in tow. She'd kept her mask of hatred towards Emma because she didn't want to get hurt again. Graham now in the picture certainly changed things. _She opened her eyes again, took a deep breath, and then frowned. _Come on Regina. Get a grip. If you want your swan, you need to stop with the façade. _She opened the folder again, revealing a picture of Emma's arms thrown around Graham's neck and Graham's arms wrapped around her waist. They were kissing. Regina angrily tossed the picture to the side, and shuffled through the rest of the photos, pausing at one revealing a picture of Emma and _him_ sharing an ice-cream cone. Emma's tongue was buried half in the ice cream, and she was smiling. _Oh dear lord. That tongue should be buried in-NO. Regina Mills. Snap out of it!_

Angrily slamming her hand down on the glass table, she shook her head and took a calming breath. Massaging her temples, she picked up her phone and called the one person who she knew would help her.

"Sidney Glass," a deep voice answered.

"Sidney. I'm quite sorry for how I treated you earlier," Regina used her most sincere voice, "I was just worried about Henry. What if he found out that his birth mother was sleeping around with the town sheriff? I won't have him exposed to that."

"I understand perfectly Mayor Mills. I would have been most upset too," Sidney was relieved.

"Good. Well. Do you know how long Em-Ms. Swan has been dating-" Regina had to bite the next part out, "Sheriff Graham?"

"Well, judging by the times I've taken the photos, I'd say about 3-4 weeks?"

Regina stiffened. "When are they meeting next? I'm just going to have a _chat_ with Ms. Swan," Regina smiled a predatory smile even though he couldn't see it.

"Um..." Regina could hear papers being shuffled, and it took all of her willpower not to start yelling at the slow, seemingly incompetent reporter. "Tonight at Granny's at 8. Why?"

"Thank you Sidney. You've been most…helpful."

She hung up before he could respond and after safely storing the antagonizing photos in her safe, she quickly left her office and went to her closet.

"Hmm Ms. Swan. What should I wear to ensure that your eyes won't ever wander from me?" she thought out loud. After sifting through her entire wardrobe, she picked the grey dress that she wore when Emma cut down her apple tree. Just remembering the white tank top that Emma wore made her breath a little heavier. Shaking her head slightly, she paired the dress with black Jimmy Choo pumps. As Regina looked in the mirror as she reapplied her make up and fluffed up her hair, she felt sexy and confident. _It's about time I get you Ms. Swan. You're mine. _She grabbed her winter jacket, and after scribbling a quick note to Henry saying that she had a meeting, she grabbed her bag and headed out the door.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, blah blah blah. Not making any money off of it. Just the happiness of my own self :P**

**A/N: Thank you for all of the kind reviews so far! :) I'm trying to write everyday, and your reviews are helping me do that. Mwah! It's time for Regina to finally let down her mask and get her princess! This chapter** **is mostly dialogue between our two favorite leading ladies, so bear with me!**

The door swung open and a gust of chilly winter air blew into the diner, making a breeze ruffle through Regina's impeccable hair. Ruby had returned with her apple cider and she was now sipping it, her attention focused solely on the blonde and her partner. Emma was wearing a low-cut sweater that accentuated her perfect breasts. She was snuggled in Graham's jacket, and Graham had an arm carelessly thrown over her shoulders. As Emma neared Regina's table, her eyes roamed over her grey dress, causing Regina's heart to soar. _Well-played Regina. _

"Evening Ms. Swan. Sheriff," Regina inclined her head in greeting.

Emma blinked, returning her green eyes back to the dark pools in front of her. "Good evening Madame Mayor."

She ripped her eyes away from the alluring image before her and back to Graham who mumbled an unintelligible 'hello' to the brunette. Regina's eyes tightened.

"Ms. Swan. A word please?" Regina asked.

"Of course Regina," the blonde extracted herself from Graham's arm and sat down at the empty chair across from her. She looked up at Graham and smiled reassuringly. Graham shifted awkwardly before turning and going to the bar.

"Well what do I owe the pleasure Madame Mayor?" Emma asked, leaning over, exposing her creamy flesh to Regina's eyes.

Regina forced herself not to look at the inviting image, and cleared her throat before answering, "Well Ms. Swan. I'll get straight to the point. Judging by you and Graham's sudden..._closeness,_ are you two screwing each other?"

_That came out too harsh_. Regina winced. Emma blinked once. Twice. _Gosh. I forgot how bitchy Regina_ _was_. She mentally berated herself for thinking..._certain_ thoughts about the Mayor when she first walked in the diner. She'd always had a little...infatuation with the town mayor. Even if she was a complete bitch._  
_

"Excuse me? I don't understand how that, Madame Mayor, is any of your concern." Her green eyes narrowed.

"On the contrary, Ms. Swan," Regina retorted, "I'm concerned about your..._activities _regarding Sheriff Graham. I will not have Henry exposed to that."

"My _activities_? Well I can assure you, that my _activities_ are all directed with good judgment. And I still don't understand how Henry has anything about this."

"I assume you haven't told him yet?"

"No. But Graham and I agreed on not telling anybody until we both felt comfortable."

"Well Ms. Swan. Keeping secrets from your son. Tsk tsk. That is precisely why I'm quite troubled." Regina traced her glass (now half-full) noting with glee that Emma's eyes followed her fingers around in the circle she made. She cleared her throat, and Emma snapped out of her mini trance.

"Wait, wh-what? I'm not keeping anything from Henry. He was supposed to be the first person I told, _Regina_."

Regina couldn't help but hide a smirk. Her little trick had worked and Emma had called her by her first name! _Ahh. I love he-this. She's so easy to anger! Ok. Tread carefully Regina. Play this right and you will see more of Emma tonight._

"After I finish here, I am going to tell _my_ son who his birth mother has been sleeping around with the past couple of weeks. I'm sure he'll be pleased, considering that we both know he will take it as you lying to him."

"What the hell? Stay out of my business Regina! You know what? It's not your news to share with him. I'll tell him myself!"

With that, Emma scraped her chair back, stood up, and frowned at Regina.

"And for the record, _Madame Mayor,_ I will have you know that I am not a slut who sleeps around with whomever I choose. I plan on making this relationship with Graham last. I will tell Henry about us after I'm done with my _date_. I will see you later."

"Don't be too late dear," Regina snickered.

Emma felt the anger bubble up inside of her. _Why that infuriating... Who was she to call her 'dear'?_ She quickly pulled the jacket closer around her body, and left before doing something she would regret. With one last glare at Regina, she made her way over to Graham who immediately wrapped her in a hug, looking concerned. Regina smirked. It had gone just as she wanted it to. Emma was coming to her house later. _I can't wait Ms. Swan. It's a date. _Regina put on her coat and threw some bills down on the table as exited the diner, her Jimmy Choos clicking with every step she took. Regina added an extra sway to her hips, well aware of the green eyes following her every move.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Usual. Unfortunately, I don't own any of it. Not making any money, yada yada yada.**

**A/N: Thanks again to all of the reviews and the subscriptions and readers of my story! Made my day! I went back to the first and second chapters, and I revised/edited both of them like 5 times. Don't have a beta, so all mistakes are mine. **

Emma licked her lips as she watched the Mayor's tantalizing hips sway until the door was shut firmly behind Regina. After she exited the diner, Emma turned back to Graham and let out an exasperated sigh, trying to banish all thoughts of Regina's hips from her mind. Graham had an expression of worry on his face.

"Are you alright Emma?" he asked, returning his arm around her shoulders.

"Yes. Sorry Graham. I'm just, ugh. Regina is really pissing me off," Emma responded, rubbing her brow.

She allowed herself to relax into his comfortable embrace.

"It's fine Emma. Do you really have to go over there?" Graham nuzzled her hair. "Stay with me tonight."

"It sounds tempting, but I can't. I have to go. I owe it to Henry. Sorry honey," Emma sighed.

Ruby slid over, interrupting their conversation.

"What would the two lovebirds like to eat?" Ruby smiled, leaning over the bar table.

"Eh, I would like a cheeseburger with fries please," Graham said, laughing.

"Same," Emma echoed, grinning.

The rest of the meal passed with bantering chatter between the two. Emma made sure she didn't consume more than one glass of beer. She couldn't show up drunk at Regina's doorstep! Who knew what might tumble out of her mouth? Graham was the first to stand after paying the bill, stretching his arms over his head and yawning. Emma caught the contagious yawn and checked her watch. It was 10 pm.

"Oh my god! Regina is going to kill me!" Emma yelped.

"Why?" Graham exclaimed.

"Because Henry might already be in bed! Oh my gosh."

Emma suddenly hopped up with an expression of panic on her face and almost fell over from the momentary dizziness that overtook her. Graham rushed to her aid, taking her arm.

"Honey. Look at me. It's okay. Regina isn't going to kill you. Let's go to the car. I'll drive you over there, and you'll be there in no time. 10:15 at the latest," Graham tried to reassure his panicked girlfriend.

"I'm so sorry for freaking out... Again. Thank you so much for dinner Graham."

Graham led her to his truck, and they drove to Regina's house in silence. He parked the truck in front of the house and turned to Emma, who smiled.

"Thanks again," she softly said.

"Any time Emma," Graham responded.

Graham leaned in and started kissing Emma. As the kiss deepened and Graham threaded his fingers through her blonde hair, the door swung open, and a light washed over them. Emma broke the kiss and squinted at the figure standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips.

_Regina had been pacing her office for the last couple of hours. Where was she? It was already past 9! Henry came into her office. _

_"Mom, can I watch TV?" he asked. __Usually Regina would say no because it was late, but tonight she relented. It would be weird if Emma showed up and Henry was already in bed. "Of course sweetie."_

_As he happily bounded away, Regina scowled. She checked her watch again for the third time, tapping her foot insistently against the ground. Another hour passed as Regina tried to finish some of her paperwork. It was now after 10. Finally, she saw a bright light bathe her windows. Standing up, she peered out of the window and saw them in the truck, him__ kissing her Emma. Unacceptable. Regina smoothed her dress, and swept out of her office. She opened the door and saw Emma startle before looking at her with big round eyes._

Emma groaned when she recognized the figure standing there and turned back to Graham and hugged him one last time. "See you later," she whispered. Graham tightened his arms and then released her. Emma shrugged off his jacket and returned it to him before climbing out of the truck and heading up the long path to meet the dark shadow.

"Ms. Swan," Regina drawled, "I thought I told you not to be late."

"Whatever Regina. Lost track of time. Can I come in or are you going to let me freeze out here?" Emma wrapped her arms around herself, her breath making puffs in the air.

"As inviting as that sounds," Regina said, "I suppose I must let you in."

Regina stepped aside to let Emma into the heat of her mansion.

"How the heck are you not freezing Regina?" Emma gasped, taking in the Mayor's knee-length and short-sleeved dress that she wore at Granny's, "It's like, 15 degrees out there!"

"I love winter," Regina simply responded, "I don't get cold that easily."

"Oh." Emma was still shivering.

"Why don't you have a coat Ms. Swan? Don't you know it's winter out?"

Emma glared at her before responding, "I'm not that stupid. I didn't realize that it was going to be that chilly when I got dressed earlier, so Graham was kind enough to let me borrow his jacket. I gave it back to him so he wouldn't be cold."

"Drink to warm up?" Regina offered.

"Hell yes," Emma said.

"Language Ms. Swan!" Regina admonished.

Emma rolled her eyes. They made their way into the kitchen, where Regina mixed them a drink. Emma tasted it and then made a face.

"Are there...apples in this?"

"Yes dear. From my apple tree that you tried to cut down a while ago," Regina took momentary pleasure in watching guilt flicker across Emma's face. _At least she feels bad about it,_ Regina thought.

"Uh, it's actually not that bad," Emma coughed and returned to sipping the drink. Before Regina could say anything more, she was interrupted.

"Emma?" Henry peered into the kitchen. "Emma!" His face broke out into a grin when he saw her. He ran over to her and jumped in her arms.

"Hey kid," Emma responded, grinning in his brown hair, missing the flash of hurt through Regina's eyes.

"What are you doing here?" Henry asked after Emma had set him down.

"Um, I need to tell you something kid," Emma said nervously.

"What?"

"I have been dating Sheriff Graham for a couple of weeks now. Is that ok with you? I'm sorry I didn't tell you before! I just wanted to make sure that our relationship would stand a chance before telling anybody, but I swear you would have been the first I told," Emma blurted out quickly.

Henry's mouth stretched into a grin before responding, "Really? That's so great! It's okay Emma! I'm proud. Go you!" Henry knew that Graham would slowly wake up from the curse after they had truly loved each other.

"Thanks kid," Emma beamed.

"Henry," Regina injected. "Time for bed. You've stayed up way past your bedtime!"

"Ok Mom," Henry turned and ran up the stairs.

"So Regina," Emma smirked, "Didn't go as planned did it?"

Regina shook her head. _I don't care. Don't you get it Emma? I just wanted you here. Even if all we're doing is fighting. Stay with me._

"Regina?"

"Oh sorry dear. I was just thinking. Your unfortunate...choice of attire is not acceptable to be wearing outside. It's too cold for you to walk home," Regina said, wincing at the obvious desperation in her words.

"I'll be fine," Emma said, not really meaning it. She had just warmed up. "Besides Regina, since when do you care about my well-being?"

"If you want to stay in one of the guest bedrooms, you can," Regina answered, avoiding her question.

Emma pondered that for a moment. It would be nice. She wouldn't freeze all over again. She shuddered, thinking of what Regina could do to her if she stayed. _Since when are you afraid of Regina? Woman up Emma! _Emma looked suspiciously at her before making her decision.

"I'll stay Regina," Emma responded, noting the look that crossed over Regina's face...Regina looked happy? Before she could examine it closer, Regina closed off her face, returning it to its stony mask. Emma forced a 'thanks' out of her mouth, and wordlessly followed Regina up the staircase. It was going to be an interesting night.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Usual. Unfortunately, I don't own any of it. Not making any money, yada yada yada.**

**A/N: Thanks again to all of the reviews and the subscriptions and readers of my story! So excited to continue! Still don't have a beta, so all mistakes are mine. **

Emma followed Regina down the long hallway in silence, trying her hardest not to look at her butt. _My goodness Emma. You are fantasizing about the mother of your kid. Not to mention she's your arch-nemesis! Snap out of it! _

"Here is the guest bedroom where you'll be staying," Regina stopped suddenly, and Emma, who was preoccupied with her thoughts, ran straight into the back of her. She grabbed Regina's arm, steadying herself before quickly dropping it like it burned her. _Well it did. Just not in the literal sense_...Regina felt a shock run up her arm where Emma had gripped it and tried to calm her racing heart. Emma flushed before she turned away and muttered a hasty 'sorry' before peeking into the room. Everything was white. The plush carpet. The huge king-sized bed on the far left wall. The pale rug under the ivory bureau. The two snow-colored lamps sitting proudly on the two tables beside the bed; one on each side. Emma stood there a while, taking in the feel of the setting.

"It certainly is...sterile?" Emma struggled for a word to use, looking around. Secretly, she liked the cleanliness of the space, even if the color was a bit... harsh and cold. She noticed that Regina wasn't in the room anymore but before she could call her name, Regina beat her to it.

"Bathroom's over here dear," Regina called. Emma shook her head, too tired to even care if she called her 'dear.' She walked over to the adjoining room that she hadn't noticed before and found Regina wiping off the white granite countertop. Emma gaped. It was _huge. _A bathtub sat in one corner while a shower resided in the opposite corner. Big fluffy towels hung on racks, and it took a substantial amount of effort on Emma's part not to grab one and wrap herself in it.

"Wow," Emma said softly, looking around in wonder, "This is actually pretty cool!"

"Thank you Em-Ms. Swan," Regina smiled, hoping Emma didn't catch her slip-up, "You can take a bath or shower if you want to before turning in for the night."

She turned to leave before Emma grabbed her arm again, more gently this time, and uttered a sincere thank you. Regina smiled a genuine smile that took Emma's breath away before turning and sweeping out of the room, adding a little extra bounce in her step. Emma grinned before gently tugging her clothes off, unaware of the dark brown eyes watching her every move. They followed the sweater as it dropped to the ground, and the jeans as they pooled to her feet. They widened when they saw the creamy skin being exposed before hastily returning their gaze to the ground and turning away. Regina was appalled at herself. Shaking her head, she gently pulled the door shut, willing the door to close softly. It obeyed her wishes, and she headed across the hallway to Henry's room. After saying goodnight to the most important person (other than Emma) in her life, she went to her spacious bedroom and got ready for bed.

Emma tied her hair up in a loose bun and ran the water in the bath, adding a couple squirts of bubbles in it, grinning. Couldn't hurt right? She sunk deep into the bubbles, enjoying the warmth that spread over her entire body. She leaned back and closed her eyes, happy that she didn't have to walk back home. _Why did Regina let her stay? Surely it wasn't because of the cold... She could have driven her home. In fact, why did she even care? _Emma shot open her eyes and sat up, frowning slightly. It was truly vexing and she rubbed her exhausted eyes. _Whatever._ She was too tired to ponder it anymore, and sunk back under the bubbles.

Before she got too pruny, she got out and hurriedly grabbed the fluffiest towel she could find. Emma gasped slightly before snuggling into the softest thing she'd ever felt in her life. After thoroughly drying herself off, she looked at the heap of clothes on the floor. She couldn't wear her dirty jeans and sweater to bed! Sighing, she leaned down and folded all of her articles of clothing before setting them on the counter. Emma wrapped the towel around her midsection and walked out of the now-steamy bathroom. She walked into the hall, and peered in the darkness. _Damn it. Which room is hers? Why the hell does she have so many doors anyway? Oh duh. It's the one with the light emanating from the bottom. _Padding softly down the carpeted hallway, she knocked gently on the door before it swung upon and revealed a fresh-faced, pajama-clad Regina.

"Yes Ms. Swan?" Regina asked, swallowing as her eyes roamed over Emma's scantily clad body. Emma swallowed as well as she took in Regina's appearance. Both of their hearts beat faster; both of them unaware of the effect that they were having on the other.

"Uh. I was just wondering if I could borrow something to wear for tonight since I don't have anything," Emma choked out, mentally cursing herself for being so distracted.

"Of course. Just a minute," Regina replied, "Come in."

Emma found herself in a room similar to her own. Regina left and went to her closet to dig up some clothes for Emma to wear. As Emma waited, she entertained herself by looking at pictures of Henry that Regina had framed and set on her dresser. The photos were lined up perfectly in a straight line. The first picture was of a baby boy wrapped in a blanket. His brown sparkling eyes seemed to pierce straight to Emma's soul. She blinked and moved on. As Emma progressed down the line, the baby pictures were soon replaced by toddler ones, and then elementary-grade ones. Some of them had Regina in it as well, either holding Henry, or watching him with an expression of love clearly written on her face. Emma felt a slight pain in her chest and blinked back a sudden tingling in her eyes. _She had missed out on so much of her son's life. _She crossed her left arm over her chest, and brought her right hand up to hastily wipe away a few tears that had escaped when she heard footsteps approaching. She cleared her throat and turned to Regina, who wordlessly handed her a long-sleeved shirt and baggy sweatpants for her to wear. Emma gratefully took them and smirked. Who knew that the uptight mayor owned such clothing?

"Thanks," Emma whispered, clutching the clothes.

Regina seemed to sense the mood Emma was in at that moment, so she directed Emma to her personal bathroom without comment. Emma dressed quickly, trying not to inhale the scent wafting from the clothes that smelled like Regina. She also blushed when she found Regina had tucked a pair of satin underwear in between the sweatpants. Emma emerged from the bathroom, holding the towel in her hand. Regina was sitting on her bed, reading. She looked up with a tiny smile on her face and set her book to the side, momentarily forgetting it.

Emma cleared her throat. "Well, um. Thanks again Regina. I really appreciate it."

"It's nothing dear."

"Why are you being so nice?" Emma blurted out.

Regina took a deep breath. "Well, Ms. Swan, I felt like our relationship_,_" Regina tried not to stress the 'relationship' part too much, "needed to change. For Henry's sake. I would, Ms. Swan, like to uh, be friends."

"Friends?" Emma's eyebrows shot straight up to her hairline.

"Can you not comprehend that word?" Regina raised an eyebrow.

"No. I can. I'm just surprised that's all."

"You don't have to. I just thought it would be best for Henry," Regina said in a rush.

"That actually sounds...nice," Emma felt happiness bubble up inside of her, not knowing that Regina was feeling the exact same way, "Although Madame Mayor, I feel that you should call me Emma, and I should start calling you Regina."

Regina grinned. "Sounds good...Emma."

"And also," Emma paused, shuffling her feet, "Uh, I just wanted to say thanks so much for uh, taking care of Henry when, um. I...couldn't. I can see he had a good, um, childhood."

Regina stood up from the bed and walked over to her, stopping a couple of feet away. Emma looked at the ground.

"I have loved him ever since I first saw him," Regina said softly. Emma's eyes stung again, and she closed them for a moment before composing herself. She looked up at Regina, and into dark orbs that made her heart melt. They leaned in, transfixed on each others eyes. Closer...Closer...BEEP BEEP BEEP.

The sudden noise of the clock made them jump away from each other, both blushing furiously. "Wow! It's already midnight!" Emma exclaimed, looking at the source of the noise resting on Regina's nightstand.

"Gosh. Time flies," Regina was shocked too.

"Er, good night Regina," Emma said, liking the feel of the name rolling around on her tongue. She headed to the door and pulled it open.

"Good night Emma," Regina replied, watching Emma melt into the shadows before closing the door.

Both of them leaned on the opposite sides of the door, trying to calm their racing hearts. _What the hell just happened?_ Emma thought. _I almost kissed her._ Regina thought. Emma wrestled with the conflicting emotions in her brain as she walked back down the long hallway to her room. _Regina's room._ She corrected herself. As Emma reached the bedroom, she couldn't help the tiny chuckle of glee that escaped her mouth. Regina and her were now _tentative_ friends! Even though the...weird incident happened and it made her as confused as hell, they had made peace! Milestone in their relationship, Emma thought. Hopefully it wasn't some other ploy to run her out of town. For now though, she would just enjoy it. She went to the bathroom and hung the towel up in its rightful place on the rack before turning and looking at the huge bed that practically begged for her to be in it. Emma couldn't resist running across the length of the room and jumping in the over-sized bed. She buried herself under the heavy blankets, her weary eyes drooping, unable to remain open from the chaos of the evenings events. She was in Dreamland breathing peacefully and evenly when the door quietly swung open. A shadowy figure leaned on the doorframe, simply watching her sleep for a while before closing it like before and leaving.

**Aww...a cute and tentative Regina! :) Disappointed though that they didn't kiss? The Sheriff might have a couple of things to say about that if he found out! Hopefully you liked the sleepover chapter and hopefully you don't think Regina was too creepy, watching Emma as she disrobed and when she slept! Thanks so much!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Usual! I don't own Once Upon a Time. Otherwise, Swan Queen would have already happened ;)**

**A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews and readers and subscribers to my story! I absolutely love you guys! :) I write and edit/revise all these chapters multiple times before publishing them. Then I go back and re-read them numerous times and improve them some more. Even then, I'm not 100% satisfied. If you have advice for any of the chapters so far, please R&R! This chapter focuses on Emma trying to convince Henry that Regina isn't as bad as she seems...Just some fluff :) Thanks again!**

The sunlight streamed in the windows, waking the gorgeous blonde up. Emma lazily cracked open an eye. _Whoa! It's so white! Am I dead?_ She sat straight up in bed and started panicking before she realized that she was in Regina's house. Last nights events crashed back into her mind. She flopped back on the pillows and grumbled. The image of her almost breaking down before Regina flew through her mind and she snorted. _Way to break down girl._ Then she remembered the hesitant truce that they made and she felt like crawling back under the covers. The door creaked open and before Emma started freaking out, Henry peered his head around the corner. _  
_

"Hey kid!" Emma was relieved.

"Emma! You're still here!" Henry raced over to her bed and jumped in, landing on Emma's leg in the process.

"Ouch!" She grabbed her leg and rolled around in mock pain. "I think you broke it Henry!"

"Oh don't be such a baby," Henry teased as he sat back on his heels at the foot of the bed, "Mom told me this morning that she let you stay the night!"

"Yes. Well about that," Emma said, "Uh. Your mom and I are...tentative friends."

"Really?" Henry said, disbelief coloring his tone.

"Really," Emma shook her head, not believing it herself.

"Good. That'll play perfectly into Operation Cobra! Pretend to be her friend, and then-"

"Henry," Emma interrupted him, "I know that Regina and I haven't ever been...friendly to each other, but we both decided it was time to end our feuding." Emma thought back to how Regina looked at her last night with an expression she couldn't quite place. It certainly wasn't hatred though. It seemed almost...sweet. "She's not that bad."

"But she's the evil queen. It'll work perfectly!" Henry protested.

"Henry. She's your mother-"

"No she's not. You're my moth-"

"She has been your mother for the last 10 years. She's fed you, clothed you, given you a safe home, and," Emma paused to tickle him, "changed your stinky diapers."

Henry laughed, despite the sudden confusion he felt. "Emma," he said seriously.

"Yea kid?"

"What if this is some trick that she's using to get you out of town?"

"It's not. And if it is, we'll cross that bridge when we reach it," Emma replied, hiding the fact that she had been worried about the same exact thing last night.

"But-"

"No more buts Henry! She's your mother and she loves you," she held up a hand when she saw Henry start to protest. "Has she been a bad mom?"

"No, bu-"

"Has she ever looked at you without love written clearly on her face?"

Henry took a moment to think about it before finally relenting, "No."

"So she can't be as bad as you think she is."

"I guess not," Henry mumbled, "But Emma. She banished everyone from fairy tale land to Storybrooke! She separated you from your parents! She also stuck me in therapy because she thought I was crazy!"

"Kid. Enough. She put you in therapy because she was worried. I must admit, even I didn't believe you. I'm not saying that I don't believe you now," she added hastily as she watched her son's face crumple, "You just need to be very persuasive like you were to me until I believed. And if she still doesn't believe you, you still have me and Mary Margaret and Archie to talk to! Also Henry, even if she did do all of those things to the people of fairy tale land, she must have been hurt pretty bad to resort to that. Doesn't she deserve love? And redemption?" _Better to play into his fairytale imagination._

Henry thought for a moment, digesting everything that Emma had said. "I suppose so. I have been rather...mean to her lately." He looked shameful.

"Well you can still make it up to her."

"How?"

"Be nicer to her starting now. Give her hugs and kisses. Smile at her. Start saying 'I love you' to her."

"I do love her," Henry admitted, looking down at his hands. He started sniffling.

"Oh kid, come here," Emma held open her arms for him to crawl into. Mother and son sat embraced, unknowing of the stifled sob that came from behind the door. Regina bit her fist to keep herself from crying out again. Her beautiful princess was defending her. The emotions that she had been trying so hard to bury ever since Daniel died rose up when she looked at Emma and her - no- _their_ son snuggled up. The sunlight streamed in, creating the perfect image. Regina's eyes sparkled with unshed tears. Then it hit her: Emma was more than just an infatuation. Swallowing hard, she stepped back from the doorway, and rushed to her room. She wanted-no, _needed _Emma to stay longer. Calling on the little magic she had left, she willed the clouds to start snowing. Regina gazed out the window at the sudden flurries rushing past. _There. That should ensure that her swan would stay. _

_All magic comes with a price. _Regina remembered Gold's warning, her heart falling. Then frowning slightly, she squared her shoulders and inhaled deeply. _I'll deal with it when the time comes, and pay the price happily if it meant that Emma stayed._ She turned away from the window, squishing her anxiety down. Feeling the happiest she had she had since Daniel died, she left her bedroom and went back down to the room where Emma was staying.

Regina knocked gently on the half-open door and pushed it open after she heard a soft 'come in.' Henry and Emma were in the same exact position as they were before.

"Hey Mom," Henry smiled at her, making Regina's eyes water again. _When was the last time her son had smiled at her?_

"Hey Henry," Regina said, trying to hide her watery eyes, "Good morning Emma."

"Good morning Regina," Emma added somewhat shyly, "Sleep well?"

"Yes. You?"

"Wonderful."

"Mom! Emma!" Henry exclaimed, pushing Emma's arms away and running over to the window, "It's SNOWING!"

"What?" Emma cried, vacating her place on the bed and scrambling over to the window next to Henry.

"Wow! It's like a blizzard out there. It's really blowing! It looks like you're gonna have to stay here with us!" Henry shouted, pumping his fists in the air. Regina just smirked.

"Uh, is that ok Regina?"

"Of course Emma. After all, what are friends for?" Regina walked over to Emma and Henry by the window. Emma looked at Regina, and her breath was taken away. Regina's already gorgeous face was made more beautiful by the illuminating light from outside. Emma could have swooned. She looked back out of the window quickly and scolded herself for thinking such thoughts about Regina when she already had a wonderful boyfriend. She started panicking when she thought of him. _I've been so selfish! Not even thinking about him once! _She started pacing back and forth, becoming increasingly agitated.

"Oh my gosh! Graham must be so worried! I never told him that I stayed over last night," Emma voiced her worries aloud. (Regina stiffened at the mention of _his_ name.) "And what about Mary Margaret? Oh my goodness! She must be in a frenzy! I'd better tell them both that I'm ok!"

"And that you'll be staying longer!" Henry piped in.

Emma hurried over the bed and picked up her cell phone, only to find that it had died.

"Oh no! My phone died!"

"Relax Emma. You can use the phone downstairs to call whoever you need to," Regina motioned with her hand.

"Thank you Mada-Regina," Emma said, blushing when she realized that she had made a big deal out of it. _Oh how I love it when Emma blushes,_ Regina mused. _She's adorable. _Emma gently brushed past Regina and walked downstairs to call a frantic Graham and an even more hysterical Mary Margaret.

**A/N: Uh-oh. What price will Regina have to pay for creating her little snowstorm? Well the important thing is that Emma's trapped at Regina's for the weekend! Whoo! Be prepared for some fun in the snow with our two favorite leading ladies soon! Hopefully it was a touching chapter :) I tried to strengthen the relationship between Regina and Henry, as well as helping Regina realize that her love for Emma was more than just an infatuation. I also just realized that Regina is always...lurking(?) behind doors. Whoops :) Thanks!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Usual! I don't own Once Upon a Time. Otherwise, Jennifer Morrison and Lana Parrilla might sue me for what I would do to their characters ;) I also don't own any of the games that I mention later in this chapter. Or Finding Nemo :)**

**A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews and readers and subscribers to my story! Ok. So I usually just wing each chapter with no idea how it's going to turn out. I hate (and I mean I absolutely _detest_****) pre-writing, but I actually did it for once and I ended up with a tentative outline of how I want this story to turn out! I'm so excited! Thanks for sticking with me! Mwah! This chapter is pretty much fluffy moments between the three (Regina, Emma, and Henry) outside in the snow. :)**

After Emma had gone downstairs, Henry noticed his mom's relaxed face and realized that she looked happy._ Maybe Emma and her being friends won't be so bad after all. Ok. Time to mend bridges. I've been a horrible son. _He walked over to Regina and gave her a hug. It took Regina a second to process what was happening before she wrapped her arms around him, her eyes glistening with tears. Henry turned his head to the side and rested it on Regina's ribcage, not yet tall enough to reach where her heart was. Foreign tendrils of love and happiness crept their way into Regina's heart as he clung to her. She hadn't hugged Henry ever since he started reading that ridiculous book and believing it, causing him to distance himself from her. It made Regina feel like he hated her. She closed her eyes and clutched him even tighter to her. No words were needed. Regina knew what Henry was trying to say. A quiet cough brought her back to reality, and she glanced up at Emma standing awkwardly in the doorway. Henry gently disentangled himself from her embrace and looked up at her. They shared a look before Henry caught a glimpse out of the window.

"MOM! It stopped snowing! Can we go out and play?" Henry asked excitedly.

"_We?"_ Regina quirked a side of her mouth up.

"You, me, and Emma! Please?" Henry begged.

"Hmm," Regina pretended to think and heard Emma chuckle.

"Please pretty please with a cherry on top?" Henry fell to his knees dramatically, shaking his clasped hands together in the air. Regina regarded Emma with a twinkle in her eyes.

"What do you say to romping around in the snow today Emma?"

"I say it sounds... INCREDIBLE!" Emma giggled, throwing her arms out to the side, unintentionally making her shirt ride up to expose a flat, toned stomach.

Forcing her eyes to return to Henry, Regina grinned. "Well Henry. It sounds that you have two willing participants!"

Henry whooped and ran out of the room, slamming his bedroom door closed after him. Regina snickered.

"Regina," Emma hesitantly said, "May I borrow some of your clothes again?"

"Emma you don't have to ask," Regina said, a little bothered that Emma still seemed a bit uncomfortable interacting with her, "It's fine! Let's go to my bedroom."

"Thanks," Emma gratefully responded, following her to her bedroom.

After Emma had dressed in an appropriate outfit from Regina's spacious closet, she headed downstairs and helped herself to some of the coffee that Regina said she could have. She waited as it brewed, fiddling with the jacket's white buttons. (Big shocker in the color there.) At least her pants and boots were black. Henry dashed down the stairs and sprinted to the door.

"Come on Emma!" Henry shouted before turning his head and yelling up the stairs, "Come on Mom!" He yanked open the door and rushed outside into the white wonderland.

Emma just laughed before pouring herself a cup of her newly brewed coffee, the scent wafting up and teasing her nose. Regina came down the stairs, donning a similar outfit to Emma's. _Her_ hair didn't look like she had just rolled out of bed.

"Coffee?" Emma offered, holding out an empty mug.

"Sure. Thanks," Regina answered, taking it. Emma filled her mug up halfway. They sipped their coffee in comfortable silence.

"Guess we'd better get out there," Emma cleared her throat and set her cup in the sink.

"Mmm," Regina agreed, setting her mug down next to Emma's, "Let's go."

Emma squinted as the bright light hit her eyes, noticing that Regina had a hand up to cover her own. She copied the image, and saw Henry a few feet away, making a snowman. Emma wasted no time in running over to Henry.

"Took you guys long enough!" Henry fake-punched Emma in her arm.

"Oh shush. I needed my morning coffee," Emma grumbled before grinning, "What do you want me to help with?"

"Uh, can you do the snowman's stomach? I can never lift it!"

"Sure kid."

Regina walked up to them. "What can I help with?" she asked.

"You can help Emma with the body because I'm still working on his bottom!"

"Alright. Emma?" Regina turned to face Emma. Emma smirked before racing over to an untouched area of snow and began packing and rolling it. Regina rolled her eyes playfully before _walking_ over and assisting her. The two women pushed and grunted as they got the snowball to a fairly decent size.

"So how do you want to do this Regina?" Emma asked.

It took Regina a moment to realize that Emma meant how were they going to get their newly formed snowball over to the one that Henry made. It wasn't that far away, but the snowball looked heavy. She desperately wanted to say 'together', but she felt that it would be corny to say, so she settled on, "You lift from that side, and then I'll grab onto this side." Emma obeyed, and it actually worked...for a couple of steps before Emma dropped it, causing Regina to falter before releasing it too. Emma swore under her breath. Regina couldn't help herself-she started laughing. It took Emma a moment to place the foreign sound coming from Regina's mouth before she joined in.

"Whoops. I'd better get my ass back to the gym!"

"Ms. Swan, I do believe that would be beneficial to all of us," Regina said with a twinkle in her eye, ignoring Emma's choice of words. Emma stuck out her tongue and heaved the snowball up again. Regina followed suit and they made it another couple of steps before the same thing as before happened. It slipped out of Emma's grasp again, and she doubled over gasping with laughter. The snowball finally made it to the base of Henry's snowman after many stops and giggles. Henry had already made the head in the time it took the brunette and blonde to drag the middle over.

"Do you think Ms. Swan," Regina drawled, "that you can possibly lift this snowball up and set it on top of the base without dropping it?"

"Why yes Madame Mayor," Emma smirked, "I do believe I can manage that."

They both heaved it one last time, and the snowball was in place. Grinning at each other, they panted as they admired their handiwork.

"Good job Regina!" Emma slapped Regina's hand. Regina suppressed a snicker.

"And you as well Emma."

Henry lifted the head on top of the middle section, and their snowman was complete. The trio stood there for a moment, just soaking in the sense of accomplishment that they got from making it before Henry got a sneaky expression on his face. Scooping up some snow and hastily forming into a small snowball, he threw it at Emma and it hit her in the side of the leg. She froze. He tensed, waiting for her reaction.

"YOU'RE SO DEAD KID!" Emma shouted with a silly smile on her face. She quickly packed some snow together and threw it at Henry, not even caring if it was a legit snowball or not. Henry screamed and started running. Emma chased after him, speedily making snowballs as she went. Suddenly, a snowball came out of nowhere and hit her in her side. Emma gaped and looked around. She found Regina calmly wiping off her gloved hands on her pants, a hint of a smirk on her face.

"Regina?" she asked, still gaping.

"Close you mouth dear, I'm sure you don't want snow in your mouth when Henry throws his next one," Regina raised an eyebrow.

_Oh she's asking for it,_ Emma thought. She hurriedly made another snowball and chucked it back at Regina, hitting her square in the stomach. _Ouch, that looked like it hurt._ But Regina just made another seemingly perfect snowball and threw it right back at her, but Emma sidestepped just in time and missed it. Regina growled and made another one, this time hitting Emma square in the chest. _Shit. That hurt, _Emma thought, rubbing the tender spot. Henry reappeared after realizing that Emma was no longer chasing him and threw a snowball at Regina who was caught off guard. It successfully hit her in the arm. The next hour was filled with screaming, laughter, and pain, as their bodies hurt from all of the snowballs that pelted them. Their arms were getting tired as well, so Henry called a truce. They trudged, now soaking wet, to the backdoor. Henry, who was freezing, charged to the door and slipped inside to the warmth. Emma shook her head. How did that kid have so much energy? Regina was also admiring her son with a small smile on her lips. Engrossed in her thoughts, she slipped on a patch of hidden ice and landed on her back. Emma, who was behind her, landed on top of her and grabbed her arms to support herself with an 'oof'. Emma tried to scramble off of Regina, but a pair of strong arms intertwined with hers, effectively trapping her there. Emma looked questionably down at the gorgeous brunette that was now lying perfectly content under her. Regina's dark brown eyes feasted on Emma's green ones, and Regina held her breath, tucking a stray piece of blonde hair behind her ears. The snow was falling gently again and Emma began to get the same tingly feeling that she had gotten the night before when they were in the similar position. She leaned down again.

"Mom! Emma! It's snowing again! Hurry up!" Henry called, racing back outside before faltering when he saw the position his moms were in. Both flushed and Emma rolled off of Regina who immediately missed the warmth and closeness of her.

"Uh," Emma cleared her throat, "Of course kid. We're coming."

She held out her hand to Regina who grasped it firmly and hoisted herself up. Emma spun her around and wiped some snow off of the Mayor's back, trying to ignore the sensation she got from touching her. Regina faced her again, an expression of tenderness on her face.

"All better," Emma said softly.

"Thanks," Regina whispered, closing her eyes as Emma brushed some snow from her dark hair.

Henry cleared his throat again, feeling quite awkward as he witnessed the almost intimate interactions going on between the two women. This time though, they didn't jump and Emma took Regina's gloved hand.

"To make sure you don't fall again," Emma quietly said when she noticed the look of surprise on Regina's face.

They headed inside, ignoring the bewildered expression on Henry's face. After they dried off (and Henry got over his shock), they changed into warm clothes (Emma borrowing more of Regina's) and ate tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch. The rest of the afternoon was spent playing board games like _Life, Clue, and Monopoly. Monopoly _took over three hours to complete and Regina won after purchasing hotels on Boardwalk and Park Place, effectively making Emma go bankrupt first, and then eventually Henry. Regina couldn't resist a little victory dance, enjoying the look of lust so clearly on Emma's transfixed face as she watched her. Henry suggested pizza and a movie for dinner, which Emma happily agreed to. She and Henry cleaned up the games while Regina popped a pizza in the oven. Henry picked _Finding Nemo_ for them to watch, and they all snuggled up on the couch. Henry sat positioned in the middle with Regina on his left and Emma on his right.

In the middle of the movie, Regina got up to make popcorn and hot cocoa and returned, handing the popcorn bowl to Henry for him to hold. When it was empty, Emma took it from his lap and set it on the kitchen counter before grabbing a blanket that was resting on the back of a chair and covering Regina and Henry with it. She sunk back into her spot on the plush couch, pulling the blanket up to her chin and sighed contently. With the excitement of the day, Henry's head kept dropping on Regina's shoulder, unable to remain upright. By the time the movie was finally over, Henry was asleep and laying with his head on Regina's lap and his legs on Emma's. Regina, who was threading her fingers through his brown hair, looked over at Emma who was wiping tears from her eyes. Emma caught Regina looking and laughed, embarrassed.

"It's just so sweet!" Emma explained, "Marlin and Nemo reconciled at the end, and it's just so...aww." Regina leaned over Henry and caught a tear that had trailed down to her cheek. Emma smiled and leaned into her touch before pulling back.

"Henry's asleep," she murmured, looking down at him. Regina looked at him too, unable to hide the smile.

"That he is," she said. Regina then lifted the 10-year old off the couch and carried him up to bed. As she pulled the covers up over him, he sleepily mumbled 'I love you' to her. Regina's throat constricted and she planted a kiss on his forehead. "Always," she replied. She returned downstairs to find that Emma had cleaned everything up already, and was now lying on the couch curled up under the blanket, almost completely zonked out.

"I'm not going to have to carry you to bed too, am I?" Regina joked, standing with her arms loosely crossed.

"Mmm. Would be nice though," a sleepy Emma responded before realizing what she said and shot open her eyes, panicked. Regina simply raised an eyebrow and an awkward silence descended on them.

"Well good night Regina," Emma stood and walked over to her. "Thanks for everything. I had a great time today. It was fun."

"Good night Emma. I did too." Emma leaned in and gave Regina a quick kiss on the cheek before turning and rushing upstairs. Regina stood there for a while, cradling her cheek with a wonderstruck expression on her face.

**A/N: Thanks again! Have you noticed that my chapters get longer...and longer? Haha. This chapter was so fun to write, I just had to continue! I couldn't resist making Emma fall on top of Regina. :) I'm still trying really hard to make Regina's relationship with both Emma and Henry strengthen. I also don't know what I'm going to do the Sheriff. I'm really regretting adding him in this story.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: Is this really necessary? I've already established multiple times that I don't own any of it. :( Don't own Monsters Inc. either.**

**A/N: I'm so surprised at the number of reviews that this story has gotten! Thank you all so very much :) I also really appreciate all of the wonderful suggestions people have of how to kill Graham! Poor guy! I finally figured out what to do with the Sheriff, but he won't die for a while. Die Schreiberin, I liked your suggestion! Instead of killing Graham like that though, I'm gonna make a different character get in a car accident. ;) ShadowTeenGirl, I liked your suggestion too! I'm going to incorporate that idea later in the story. Alright. Thanks again to all of the readers/subscribers/reviewers! As always, if you had comments/complaints/suggestions/ideas, hit the blue letters at the bottom of the page!**

Regina yawned and fluttered open her eyes. _Oh my gosh._ The thought of Emma kissing her crashed down on her suddenly, making her jolt wide awake. She held her hand to her cheek, still feeling the soft lips pressing against it. Down the hall, Emma was in a similar position, but she was holding her fingers to her lips, tracing them and remembering how it felt when she pressed them against Regina's warm silky skin. _Damn. I can't believe I was brave enough to do that! And without the aid of alcohol! _She scrunched into a tight ball before curling fast and threw her arms out to the side. "Ouch! That hurt!" Emma yelped, "I'm still stiff from our snowball fight yesterday!" Ignoring the momentary pain, she plastered a huge dopey smile on her face when she finally realized that she was falling hard for Regina.

Following her new morning routine, she walked across the hall to Regina's room and knocked. Bidding a shy good morning to Regina, she made her way to her closet and picked out jeans and a purple tee-shirt. Dressing quickly, she left Regina's room and made her way downstairs. Reaching the kitchen, Emma brewed some more coffee before pouring a cup for herself and one for Regina. Henry and Regina emerged a couple of moments later, the latter looking impeccable as ever in tight jeans and a simple blue shirt. Regina shivered slightly when she felt Emma's eyes raking over her body, and a course of desire rushed through her. She gave Emma a small smile and thankfully grabbed the coffee, enjoying it as the creamy liquid slid down her throat.

"So what are we going to do today?" Henry asked, sitting on a kitchen stool.

"Hmm, I don't know. Emma?" Regina said as she looked over at the blonde who had her elbows resting on the tabletop and her hands grasping the coffee mug.

Emma swallowed a gulp of coffee before responding, "Whatever you guys want to do is fine with me."

"I wanna play outside! The snow is melting fast!" Henry said, scraping back his stool and rushing to the window.

"Henry! Don't scrape it against the tile!" Regina scolded gently.

"Sorry Mom."

Regina's face relaxed as she too looked out of the window. He was right. The snow was melting, and Emma would be able to walk home today. Her magic couldn't last that long. She wanted to Emma to stay longer. Regina thought quickly.

"Emma," Regina slyly said, spinning around to pin Emma with a stare, "Would you like to bake today?"

"That sounds great Regina!" Emma beamed and stared straight back at her.

Regina raised an eyebrow and said, "Good."

"Henry, want to join us?" Emma asked, breaking the eye contact with Regina.

"No thanks. Like I said before, I'm going to make the most out of the remaining snow! Do you guys want to join _me?_"

"Kid, I'm still sore from yesterday!" Emma groaned, rubbing her arm.

"Me too," Regina echoed. _Perfect. Just me and Emma for the morning._

"Fine. Spoil sports," Henry joked. He raced back upstairs to get ready before sprinting out the backdoor.

"He gets the energy from me," Emma chuckled as she watched her son romp around in the snow.

"Sure. Especially last night when you were knocked out on the couch," Regina teased back. She pretended to think, "Or possibly when you didn't have any energy to lift the snowball and you kept dropping it."

"That was strength-related!" Emma replied indignantly.

Regina just chuckled.

"So what are we gonna bake?" Emma quirked her eyebrow up.

"Cookies," Regina replied instantly.

"Sounds delicious, although I must admit, I'm rather bad at cooking," Emma admitted before adding, "But I rock at eating!"

"Knew that mouth was good for something," Regina gave her a smile to assure her that there was no intention of malice behind her words.

"Har har har," Emma said sarcastically.

"We're going to make chocolate chip cookies," Regina said, changing the subject.

"Yummy!"

Regina turned and got everything that they would need to bake them, and set it on the counter. Emma just shook her head when she saw that Regina had all of the necessary ingredients needed to make chocolate chip cookies. _Figured. She is the mayor after all. _

_"_Alright. First step?" Emma asked after she put her coffee mug in the dishwasher. And so it began, Regina and Emma working together in tandem as they chatted. Soon they had a gooey mixture, and they scooped and molded each spoonful they took into a sticky ball before setting it down on the pan. Regina popped them into the oven, setting the timer for 20 minutes.

"Well that was fun!" Emma exclaimed.

"You have some..." Regina gestured to her own cheek.

"What?" Emma quickly rubbed furiously on the side of her face, which only succeeded in wiping half of it under her eyes.

Regina shook her head before reaching over with her clean, manicured hands and gently brushed it away.

"Thanks," Emma mumbled. Then she got a sneaky grin on her face.

"What?" Regina asked.

Emma's response was to scoop up some remaining flour from the counter and throwing it in the mayor's face. Regina stood there open-mouthed while Emma smirked. She got a fiery look in her eyes and gathered some of the fine white powder in her hands before chucking it back in Emma's face. _Oh it's on!_ Emma smirked again before flinging some back. The once-pristine kitchen was now covered with a fine layer of white powder. Both women were doubled over with laughter by now, clutching their stomachs.

"Ok! Truce truce!" Emma gasped, almost on her knees she couldn't breathe.

"Don't start something you can't finish," Regina said with a gleam in her eyes. She tossed one last puff of flour at Emma before relenting. Emma wiped tears from laughing so hard away from her eyes. She looked down at herself and whistled.

"I'm a mess!" she declared, trying to clean her hands off on her pants, which made it worse. "Oh my gosh Regina. I'm so sorry I ruined your pants!"

"It's fine Emma," Regina laughed, "I have tons."

She looked fondly at Emma who was still trying to rub the flour off of her pants, but to no avail. Regina slid over next to Emma-way closer than the acceptable arm-lengths apart.

"We can wash it off later," she murmured.

Emma looked up, her sea-green eyes connecting with dark chocolate-colored ones. Swallowing, Regina pushed a golden lock out of Emma's face and rested her hand on Emma's cheek. Emma relaxed, and sank her head into her hold, a sense of déjà vu overtaking her. This time though, there was no annoying clock to distract them. No Henry to interrupt them. Regina leaned in, inhaling the scent of coffee and lavender (soap from her bathroom). She closed her eyes and pressed her plump red lips to Emma's thinner, rose-colored ones. It was the perfect cliché. Sparks flew and they both gasped simultaneously. Emma threaded her long fingers through the brunette's hair and pulled her closer before clutching her hands around the nape of her neck. Regina rested her hands on Emma's back before sliding them down and settling them on her slim hips. The timer beeped, signaling that the cookies were done. The women broke away for air, both breathing heavily as they rested their foreheads on each other. The timer beeped again insistently, and Emma smiled at Regina before putting on oven mitts and taking the cookies out. Emma set the cookies on a cooling rack, and a pair of slim arms snaked around from behind and settled around her waist.

"Graham," Emma panted.

Regina felt an ice-cold fury flow through her and frowned. _She could so easily end him... Emma was hers! Only hers! _Emma quickly spun around and gave Regina a slight peck on the lips, not liking the look on her face.

"Don't worry. I'll break up with him," Emma responded, "I've never felt like this before," Emma didn't even care if she sounded corny. Usually Regina would've rolled her eyes at the sappiness, but with the mood she was in now, she simply felt her heart melt and she pulled Emma in again and resumed kissing her. Emma broke away, missing the scowl on Regina's face.

"Did you hear that?" Emma mumbled, intoxicated by the scent of apples.

"No," Regina practically growled, crushing her lips against Emma's, wanting to shut her up. It worked. She licked Emma's lips, begging for entrance that was soon granted. Their tongues danced around each other, and Emma moaned softly. Regina's lips were so soft!

Outside standing in the snow, Henry was watching them through the window, his brown eyes almost bulging out of his head. The sound that Emma thought she heard earlier was him gasping before clapping his hand over his mouth. He was on his way inside to warm up and had gotten the door half-way open before he absorbed the scene that was going on in front of him. His heart was thumping. _Is this how the evil is vanquished? _Gripped with a sudden fear, he felt that he must know the answer. One thing would tell him. Unfortunately, that thing was upstairs, hidden under his bed. Steeling himself, Henry burst through the back door, pretending not to notice Emma jump away from Regina, or Regina's sudden icy demeanor towards him. He stripped off his winter clothes, leaving him in his undershirt and sweatpants, and ran upstairs, shouting some garbled nonsense about how he had to go to the bathroom. Flipping the bedskirt up and crawling on his hands and knees, he found what he was searching for and pulled it out, blowing the dust off the cover. '_Once Upon a Time' _the gold letters proudly stated. Henry thumbed through the pages until he reached the last one. It showed a picture of Emma and Regina kissing, both clad in white. His eyes jumped to the text below it. There was only two lines.

_And the White Knight willingly gave the Evil Queen her heart. The evil diminished from the Queen and the darkness was lifted._

Sitting back on his heels, Henry's 10-year old brain frantically tried to comprehend what he'd just read. So the curse was...lifted? But nothing was happening. He was confused. Something was missing. But what? Was it Graham? Henry brewed for a while before remembering that he said that he was going to the bathroom. They'd probably think that he'd drowned in the toilet or something. Henry snorted. They were too absorbed in each other. Still, he'd probably better go back downstairs before they did think of him and came searching. He shoved the book back under his bed. _I should be happy. My moms are getting their happy endings. And soon I will too. _And with that thought stuck in his head, he made his way back downstairs to find that Emma and his mom were happily eating cookies and laughing.

"Hey guys," Henry coughed.

"Yes Henry?" Regina asked, licking off some chocolate on her fingers, not missing the transfixed gaze on Emma's face.

"Uh...I just wanted to tell you guys that I saw you kissing earlier, and I seriously don't mind you two together," Henry rushed when he saw the bright red blush on Emma's face, "And uh, I'm glad that my moms are happy."

"Aw. Thanks kid," Emma said, reaching out for him. He scrambled into her warm embrace, and felt Regina hug him from the other side. The three of them sat entwined like that for a while. They watched another movie that night, this time it was _Monster's Inc._ This time, Regina sat in the middle with Emma snuggled up against her, resting her curls on Regina's shoulder. They held hands for most of the movie, and Henry smiled when he saw them. He happily curled up on Regina's other side and focused his attention on the movie. The evening passed all too quickly, and Monday came. The snow was almost all melted, and Emma found herself wanting to stay forever and ever. However, she had more urgent matters to attend to; such as telling her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend that she found love with her ex-arch-nemesis. She snorted as she walked, imagining the conversation. (Emma declined Regina's offer of driving her home because she wanted time to think.)

_Yes Graham. I found a new partner. You know Regina? The uptight mayor of this town? Yes. She's the one who adopted my son. What's that? Oh yes. I know we've fought ever since I got here, but you know what they say! There's a fine line between love and hate._

Yes. That'll go well. Emma wore Regina's clothes again after Regina insisted.

"Ms. Swan. You'll have to come back to return them," Regina said with a wink.

Taking a deep breath, she walked to Mary Margaret's first, fully intending to tell her everything that happened over the weekend.

**A/N: ****I absolutely love baking with somebody else, and I thought it might be a good setting for a first kiss. And the flour fight was hopefully playful and (kind of) romantic at the same time. **I was SO excited to make them kiss finally! :) Hopefully I did ok at building up their relationship before making them kiss. I wanted to make sure that Emma had plenty of reasons to fall in love with Regina and not the Sheriff.** (Next chapter, the poor sheriff will get an unpleasant shock.)** Thanks again!


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: Don't own it…**

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm back! :) Thank you so much to the reviews/subscribers/readers. I really appreciate reading all of your kind reviews! You guys rock! This chapter contains a scene of an almost-rape. Don't read if it offends you. Ok. Remember when Regina made that awesome snowstorm? _All magic comes with a price. _This chapter will (kind of) reveal the price she has to pay.**

"Well that went better than I expected," Emma thought aloud to herself as she drove down the street in her yellow bug to tell her boyfriend-soon to be ex-boyfriend- that she now had feelings for a woman who used to be her enemy. Telling Mary Margaret wasn't as bad as she presumed. Sure, the raven-haired woman was shocked beyond belief and stood frozen in one spot for so long, Emma thought that she would have to start performing CPR, but she recovered quickly and immediately started firing questions. When Emma confessed that she loved Regina, Mary Margaret literally had to sit down in a chair as she hyperventilated. Emma hurriedly explained the incredible weekend she had with both Henry and Regina, and Mary Margaret gave the 'what were you thinking' and 'are you sure' lecture, but finally relaxed and ultimately approved. Emma left her apartment in high spirits, ready to face Graham and tell him.

Emma parked outside of Graham's apartment, and got out, inhaling the cold crisp air deeply. She walked up the stairs with a bundle of pixie sticks in her clenched fist. She knew that Graham loved them, and tried to bring a peace-offering gift. Sucking in a huge breath, she reached her destination and knocked on the door. It swung open almost immediately, and Graham's blue eyes locked into hers before his mouth stretched into a wide, happy grin.

"Emma!" he cried and wrapped her in a warm embrace. Emma wriggled out of it and shut the door after she stepped inside.

"Hi Graham," Emma said rather stiffly and thrust the pixie sticks out, "Uh, here. I brought these for you."

"What's this?" Graham said, taking them with a gleeful expression on his face.

"A...uh..peace offering?" Emma stuttered.

"What for?" Graham looked puzzled.

"Um, I've recently realized that I have feelings for Regina. Not you. I'm so sorry," Emma said quickly in a rush before making a face. _Way to go Emma. That probably wasn't the nicest way to tell him._

"What?" Graham's eyes narrowed and he threw the pixie sticks on the ground in disgust.

"Uh...I've always had a...crush on Regina. I know that we used to hate each other with a vengeance, but this weekend we settled our differences, and well...it was amazing. I bonded more with Henry and her," Emma hurried to explain and she clasped her hands behind her back and looked down at the floor before forcing herself to look Graham in the eye. _He deserves that much,_ she thought. Graham stood rigidly and his hands clamped to make fists. His face was getting redder, and Emma tried to step back hastily, but was stopped when Graham's hand snatched onto her right arm. He dug his blunt fingernails into the soft skin, and Emma's eyes watered at the intense pain._  
_

"Graham, you're hurting me," Emma whispered. His response was to strengthen his hold on her even tighter, and stepped closer. Emma could feel his breath on her face, and her eyes widened with the sudden close proximity.

"I don't care bitch. So you're a dyke now?" he jeered.

"N-n-oo," Emma stuttered.

"Yes you are. You're a whore. Sleeping with the town mayor," pain flashed across his face and he whispered almost brokenly, "I thought we had something Emma. You made me happy."

"Graham, I'm so sorry," Emma's eyes filled with tears. She felt awful. Her eyes flickered to his grip on her arm, and realized with a start that it was bleeding from his nails being driven into it. It was so numb, she didn't even notice before.

"Did you kiss her?" Graham asked softly.

"Um..." Emma hesitated.

"Tell me," Graham demanded and if possible, he sunk his nails even deeper, making Emma yelp in pain.

"Yes! I'm so sorry."

"Shut up," Graham yelled and he finally released his hand from her throbbing arm. Emma sniffed and held her arm with her left hand. "If you were sorry, you wouldn't leave me for her."

"I'm so-"

"I'm so sick of your damn sorrys Emma. Why the hell didn't you tell me you were a lesbian?" Graham hissed and punched her in the face. She staggered back, her hand flying up to the tender spot.

"I love her Graham. Please understand."

"Understand what? That you're just suddenly attracted to women? That you just dumped me for the town mayor who is a complete bitch out of the blue? God. Just. Don't. I can't even look at you. I should have never let you go with her."

Emma lowered her head again before Graham's hand shot out again and grasped her under the chin before slamming her back in the wall. She whimpered, scared. She tried to kick Graham, but he dodged each blow. Emma was losing air, and frantically clawed at Graham's hold on her neck. Her wide green eyes stared at Graham's merciless blue ones and saw nothing but anger. There was no regret in them. No sign that he was going to stop.

"Please Graham," Emma rasped. A hesitating look passed over his face before a smirk replaced it, and he leaned in and smashed his lips onto hers before releasing her. Emma laid on the floor wheezing and trying to wipe off her lips.

"Aww tsk tsk Emma," Graham kneeled on the ground next to her, "Didn't your mother ever teach you that it was rude to deny a kiss?"

Emma looked up at him with fury in her eyes and retorted, "Only if it's from a monster."

Graham frowned before his face relaxed. Inching closer to her broken form on the ground, he sat on top of her and pinned her arms to the side. Emma bucked wildly, trying to get him off her, but to no avail. He was too strong and chuckled.

He leaned in close and whispered, "Not so powerful now are you? It's time you learn who's boss."

She felt his hard-on and almost threw up. He crashed his lips back onto hers, and Emma growled before turning her head away sharply. She thought quickly. She was armed with pepper spray and she had her phone in her pocket. She decided on the pepper spray since it was quicker, and she didn't have enough time to call anybody. Emma couldn't get them though, with him trapping her arms, so she allowed her body to go limp and he smirked before he released her.

"Finally. Just needed some breaking in," Graham laughed, not noticing her hand inch lower and lower.

"Shut the hell up Graham," Emma spat before spraying the stinging chemical in his eyes and scrambling backwards. He howled, and clutched at his blood-shot eyes. She turned over on her stomach and started frantically crawling away. When she felt Graham's hand seize her ankle, she kicked him with all of her might and heard a sickening crunch before he let go. Emma hurriedly stood up on shaky legs and ran out of the apartment, not looking back.

She climbed into her car and gunned the engine, speeding as fast as she could to Mary Margaret's with tears running down her face. Mary Margaret took in her broken appearance and gasped 'oh my god' before running and getting her ice to put on her injuries. Emma collapsed into a chair. Mary Margaret handed her the ice and kneeled next to Emma and started cleaning her arm gently. Emma hissed as she felt the sting.

"What on earth happened?" Mary Margaret asked as she worked, her eyes roaming over the blonde's bruises on her face, neck, and arm. Emma's eyes filled with tears.

"Graham, he-he," Emma stammered, "He obviously didn't take it well."

Mary Margaret finished bandaging her arm and stood back up.

"Oh honey," Mary Margaret's eyes filled with tears as well as she enveloped Emma in a warm hug, "I'm so sorry that I didn't go with you. I should have known he was going to react badly. I just didn't know he would do something this awful."

"Yeah. Me either," Emma laughed without humor before flexing her arm, "Thank you so much Mary Margaret. It already feels a lot better."

"Good," Mary Margaret replied and sat next to Emma, "How did you get away?"

"Pepper spray," Emma chuckled.

"I wish I could've seen his face," Mary Margaret giggled along. Soon the two women were snickering loudly before Mary Margaret added, "That bastard stole your pixie sticks!" That did it. They both howled with laughter.

"Well, I'm going to see Regina and tell her what happened," Emma wiped away tears from her eyes, still giggling.

"Are you well enough to go?" Mary Margaret asked, her look of concern touched Emma's heart.

"Yes. A few bruises won't stop me!" Emma responded smiling. She hugged the black-haired teacher and walked back out the door. She climbed back in her yellow bug and locked the doors before she pulled her cell phone out from her jeans pocket. Hitting her number one speed dial, she settled back in the seat as she waited for her girlfriend to pick up. The phone rang to voice dial, and Emma frowned. She hung up and tried the home number.

"Hello?" Emma almost cried at the sound of Henry's voice. Just the thought of Graham almost killing her earlier made her shiver. She never would have seen Henry again, never- "Hello?"

Emma cleared her throat, "Hey kid."

"Emma!" Henry exclaimed.

"Is Regina there?" Emma asked.

"No, she had to run some errands," Henry replied, "She'll be back home soon."

"Alright, I'm coming over," Emma responded.

"Hurry! I can't wait to see you!" Henry said excitedly before hanging up.

Emma grinned and put her phone away before she caught a glimpse of herself in the rearview mirror. She winced. The clear outlines of fingerprints on her pale skin would probably scare both Henry and Regina to death. Emma cursed. _Oh well. I'll make them believe that it isn't as bad as it looks. They should see the other guy. _Snorting, she drove through the woods on her way to Regina's. She slowed down and squinted when she noticed two figures up the road. The figures turned, and Emma gasped. It was Regina and Mr. Gold. Emma was too absorbed at looking at Regina's face (_were those tears?_) she didn't notice Mr. Gold's evil smirk, or the patch of ice before she hit it and spun wildly out of control. She slammed into a tree and her car burst into flames. Emma vaguely heard Regina's voice screaming, and she fought against the blackness that threatened to overtake her, but the darkness finally won, and she slumped forward, unconscious.

**A/N: Thanks so much again! :) Poor Emma :( (I know that she probably didn't need to pass through the woods to get to Regina's house, but I forgot where her house was.) I'm going to explain the deal that Regina made with Mr. Gold in the next chapter. Also. Our dear sheriff won't die anytime soon...Evilly rubs hands together. I have some other plans for him...Hmm..an angry Regina should do nicely... As always, please read and review! Thanks!**

**Twitter: AdriannaRosseti**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: Wish I owned it.**

**A/N: Thank you all so much! ShadowTeenGirl: Me either, but then I realized that jealousy and hurt can drive a person to do awful things. :) I really appreciate all of the reviews, readers, advice, and subscribers! Mwah! Sorry it took me so long! This story took a different turn than I expected it to.**

Flashback to earlier that day

Regina watched Emma walk away, and her heart swelled with love. She had finally gotten her princess. As she pushed the door closed, she felt a little flicker of guilt when she thought of Emma going to Graham's alone, but she pushed it away. _He knows I have his heart. He won't do anything. _Shaking her head slightly, she turned to Henry.

"Henry, I'm going to the store. Do you need anything?" Regina asked.

"No, thanks," Henry responded, "I'm going to go read."

"Ok sweetie. Bye," Regina kissed his forehead, grabbed her coat, and swept out the door. She was going to plan the perfect date for Emma. She had a romantic vision of Emma sitting by the candlelight, sipping red wine and eating chocolate strawberries. The perfect platitude. Regina climbed into her car, and headed to town. She bought the necessary ingredients, and grinned when she got back into her vehicle. Humming softly to herself, she drove through the woods, fully intent on making her way back to her house before she saw a figure shoveling. Regina slowed down before she realized it was Mr. Gold. She snarled under her breath when she saw him hold up his hand and she slammed on her brakes before getting out and banging the door shut. She stalked towards him, her teeth ground tightly together and her hands in her pockets.

"Hello Madame Mayor," Mr Gold said silkily, leaning on the shovel's handle.

"What do you want Gold?" Regina sneered.

"Now now," Mr. Gold clucked his tongue, "That's no way to greet someone."

"What do you want?" Regina repeated, her hands clenching into fists in her pockets.

"You know dearie, your little inconvenient..._snowstorm_ made my car get stuck," Mr. Gold gestured to a car sitting a couple of feet away, "And I had to shovel a path out." Regina was taken aback. She didn't even know he _owned_ a car.

Recovering quickly, she jeered, "So? Pay somebody else to do it."

Mr. Gold inclined his head slightly, "Well, unfortunately for you, I've already been shoveling for a few hours now, and have cleared a path for my car to get through."

"Wait. Unfortunately for me?" Regina got a queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach, but she kept a poker face. _What the hell? I didn't even see him before! There's no way he was out there for hours. He's lying. Better not bring it up though._

"All magic comes with a price dearie," Mr. Gold giggled.

Regina's sneer faltered a bit, but she set her face in a grimace and spat out, "Name it."

"Why, it seems like you've been...fraternizing with Ms. Swan," Mr. Gold's brown eyes seemed to turn black with glee.

"Don't you dare touch her," Regina threatened.

"Or what?" Mr. Gold smirked.

"Or God help me, I will-" Regina stepped closer and her fists clenched even tighter.

"We both know you have nothing to offer me in this world," Mr. Gold taunted.

"Stop playing games Gold," Regina hissed through her teeth, "_What are you planning to do?"_

_"_You'll find out soon," Gold smirked.

Regina's eyes filled with tears before she hastily wiped them away, "It was a little snowstorm! It didn't do anything! Leave Emma out of this."

"Oh, I'm afraid I can't," Mr. Gold tilted his head.

At that moment, Regina saw Emma's car come rolling up to them, and she met Emma's sea-green eyes. Then, like a horror movie, she saw Emma's car spin wildly out of control before wrapping around a tree and exploding. Her mouth opened in a scream, and she sprinted over to the burning car, not even caring if she got burned. Regina kicked open the door and pulled her princess out, gasping when she saw the huge bruises marring her love's arm and neck. A wave of fury coursed through her, and she vowed that she would get her revenge on Graham. But for now, she had more urgent matters to attend to.

"Emma! Emma! Please wake up!" Regina begged, tears spilling down her cheeks as she cradled Emma's head in her arms, "I'm so sorry."

Regina fished her cell phone out of her pocket and called 911. After she hung up, she found Emma's weak pulse and clutched onto it desperately, as if squeezing it tighter would make Emma wake up. Suddenly remembering Mr. Gold, she turned to him and yelled, "Why did you do this? I love her!" Sobbing, she kept screaming at him before he broke in.

"Now now Your Majesty," Mr. Gold patronized, "Calm down. You aren't capable of love. You're making me deaf. This is your price to pay."

"It was a mini snowstorm," Regina shrieked, "A BLOODY SNOWSTORM. YOU WEREN'T HURT! AND I DO LOVE HER!"

"As that may be true, you deserve to suffer. You aren't worthy of getting your happy ending."

Regina's head hurt. He wasn't making sense. Looking down at the gorgeous blonde, her tears spilled onto Emma's face, and she hurriedly wiped them away.

"You might want to say your good-bye," Mr. Gold smirked before turning and seemingly disappearing into the woods, leaving his seemingly precious car behind.

Regina just sat there in a haze. _Good bye? _The ambulance sirens pierced through the deafening silence, jolting Regina from her haze-like state. Looking blearily at the white and red automobile, she clung onto Emma even tighter. "You'll be alright. I promise," Regina whispered, kissing Emma's forehead and brushing her blonde locks out of her face. Nameless people hopped out of the ambulance, and rushed towards Regina and Emma. They snatched Emma out of Regina's grasp before she could do so much as protest. Recovering her wits, she stood up, and marched into the back of the vehicle, her glare challenging anybody who looked like they would protest. On the way to the hospital, Regina held Emma's limp hand in her own, squeezing it occasionally.

When they burst into the emergency room, Emma's heart stopped, almost making Regina's heart do the same. The rest was a blur for Regina. All she could hear was 'cold blue' being screamed from various people, and her heart constricted painfully. She couldn't lose Emma. She just couldn't. Emma was wheeled into the intensive care unit, and Regina was forced to wait outside. Pacing restlessly up and down the corridor, she kneaded her forehead roughly. Her cell phone rang.

"Mom?" Henry's voice rang in her ear, making fresh tears spring to her eyes.

"Yes honey?" Regina choked out.

"Where are you? Are you okay? Where's Emma?" Henry frantically asked.

"Um," Regina took a deep breath, "We're in the emergency room. Emma was in a car accident, and her heart stopped."

Dead silence came from the other side of the phone.

"Henry?" Regina breathed after minutes of silence. She heard a stifled sob. "Oh baby. Shhh."

"Is she okay?" Henry sniffed.

"I don't know yet," Regina inhaled sharply.

Silence again.

"Honey? Call Mary Margaret. Tell her what happened. She'll come over and watch you until I figure out if Emma's okay," Regina said, gripping the phone closer to her ear.

"Alright Mom," Henry whispered, "I love you."

"And I love you," Regina whispered back, "I'll be home as soon as I can."

The dial tone informed Regina that Henry had hung up, and she shut her phone as she wiped away her tears. The doctor came out, and Regina rushed towards him, ready to bombard him with questions, but he held up his hand and she faltered.

"Madame Mayor, Ms. Swan is on life support," he informed her, "I also regret to have to tell you that Ms. Swan is in a coma."

"What does that mean?" Regina demanded.

"It means that she won't be waki-"

"I know what a coma is!" Regina interrupted, "I mean, how long?"

"I don't know," the doctor responded looking grave, "For now? Indefinitely."

Regina gasped softly and dropped her hands to her sides. She lowered her head and tried to breathe.

"If she doesn't wake up by tomorrow afternoon at the latest, we have to pull the plug."

"No," Regina said forcefully, looking back up at him, her eyes sparkling with defiance, "No."

"Madame Mayor, it's not up to us to dec-"

"No. I'm not going to let that happen," Regina cut him off and started running in the opposite direction to the exit.

Ignoring the cries and shouts of 'Madame Mayor!' behind her, she sprinted out the hospital doors before stopping and taking off her heels. Tossing them in the bushes, she looked around and spotted a bike resting in a rack without a lock on it. She smirked, and fifteen minutes later, she stopped in front of a building. Regina peered up at the flickering lights in the dark spelling out 'Mr. Gold Pawnbroker & Antiquities Dealer'. Steeling herself, she dismounted off of the stolen bike, and pushed the door open, the bell signaling her entrance.

"Why Madame Mayor," Mr. Gold's greasy voice said, "What a pleasure to see you again. Although, I must say, two times in one day is really too much."

Regina looked around, but couldn't find the source of the aggravating voice. He appeared out of the shadows, polishing a vase.

"You need to be more careful Your Majesty. You could get seriously injured, riding a bike in these conditions," Mr. Gold clucked his tongue, "And without shoes, I must add."

"I don't care about my safety," Regina replied through clenched teeth, "I care about Emma's."

She stalked to the counter and leaned over it. "What the hell happened to her?"

"What? You saw her. Ms. Swan hit a patch of black ice, and spun wildly out of control," Mr. Gold continued to polish the vase, not even looking at Regina.

"What can I do so she won't die?" Regina said softly.

Mr. Gold looked up at her.

"A deal, eh?" he set down the vase, "You have my full attention."

"Don't make her die," Regina begged, hating herself for it, "Please."

"Hmm," Mr. Gold rubbed his chin, "I really don't see how I can help."

Regina smacked her hand down on the counter. He didn't even flinch.

"Let's see," he pretended to think, "How about...wait. That won't work. Hmm. What about- Nope."

Regina's nostrils flared. He was purposefully being infuriating.

"Ah. Got it," Mr. Gold finally said, "I can't help you."

"WHAT?" Regina roared.

"You don't have anything to trade with me," Mr. Gold grinned.

Closing her eyes, Regina rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"On the contrary," Regina said slowly, "I do."

"Oh really?" Mr. Gold sneered, "And what would that be?"

"You heart's desire."

Mr. Gold froze before quickly reaching over the counter and snatching Regina's throat, gripping it tightly.

"What the hell did you do to her?" Mr. Gold snarled.

"Release me, and I'll tell you," Regina wheezed out.

"Where is she?" he reluctantly loosened his grip, but didn't let her go.

"I'll give you Belle if you give me Emma," Regina coughed.

"Oh no dearie," Mr. Gold hissed, "You give me Belle. I shall see what I can do about Ms. Swan. I'll give her to you, but she will have certain...repercussions."

"Such as?" her asked, her heart sinking.

"She won't remember anything. She won't remember where she lives, or who you or Henry are. She won't even remember her own name."

"Why?"

"Because Your Majesty," Mr. Gold tightened his grip a little more on her throat, "You took away my true love for a long time. I've taken away yours for about an afternoon."

"Fine," Regina spat out.

Mr. Gold released her and she leaned heavily on the counter again.

"A cruel fate, don't you think?" Mr. Gold whispered, "To not remember anything? Are you really going to be that selfish?"

"We have a deal," Regina said, avoiding the question and pushing away the guilt she felt. She stuck out her hand, and shook Mr. Gold's. "You'll find Belle in the psychiatric ward."

Mr. Gold's eyes became unfocused for a minute. He limped around to the front of the counter, and stared at Regina.

"If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go save my love. And you should do the same," Mr. Gold said. He made his way to the door and held it open. "Have fun pedaling through the snow."

Regina wordlessly nodded, and walked out of the shop. Mr. Gold locked it up, and limped off into the night. Regina shook her head, fighting tears of guilt, and pedaled the long journey back to the hospital where she hopefully would see her love's eyes open.

**A/N: I felt bad that I'd left this for so long so I made the chapter super long! :) (My longest one so far!) Again, I cannot express my gratitude to everybody who has stuck with me since the beginning. And to all of the subscribers and reviews and other readers! Thank you! Hopefully that's the end of Mr. Gold, since he found his true love. As always, please pretty please review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz own Once Upon a Time**

**A/N: Thank you guys so much for the constant support and reviews! This chapter is mostly dialogue, as Emma is trying to figure out her life before her amnesia.**

Beep...Beep...Beep. The blonde groaned and fluttered open her eyes. The first thing that she noticed was an IV sticking in her arm, and she breathed heavily before looking away at her surroundings. The walls were yellow; not the typical white she was expecting. _Where the hell am I?_ The smell of antiseptic hit her nostrils, and she flared them in disgust before noticing that her mouth was covered with tape and something plastic. She panicked and tried to claw at the foreign object that was intruding her face.

"Ms. Swan is awake!" a voice shouted, which interrupted her thoughts. She started, and heard footsteps running before she looked up at the source of the voice. _Who was Ms. Swan? _A dirty-blond haired man gently pulled the strange object away from her face, and she found that she could talk.

"Emma! I'm so happy that you've decided to come back to us!" the man said, his blue eyes peering into Emma's.

Emma felt flustered, but responded, "Uh hi?"

"Emma? Do you not remember me?" his forehead furrowed into a frown.

"I'm sorry, I don't. Who's Emma?" she responded, feeling a headache coming on.

"Oh dear," the man said before asking, "Do you remember anything?"

Emma knitted her eyebrows together in concentration, but as hard as she tried, she could not remember anything. It was just a blurry haze.

"Oh my god," Emma gasped before blurting, "I don't remember anything! Who am I? Where am I? Who are you? What happened?"

"I'm Doctor Whale of Storybrooke," he said as he held up a hand to silence her, "Your name is Emma Swan. You're twenty-eight years old and you were in a terrible car accident when your car hit a patch of black ice. You're lucky that the mayor of the town found and rescued you when she did. Otherwise you may not have ever woken up from the coma you were in. You were on life support until recently, when I just took you off. Good thing you woke up when you did, because we were going to pull the plug, but apparently you are suffering from amnesia."

"Amnesia?" Emma squeaked.

"Yes. I don't know how serious it is, but hopefully yours won't be long," he responded, "It could be temporary, or life-lasting."

"Life-lasting?" Emma felt like fainting.

"That's the worst case scenario."

"This town has a mayor?" Emma asked incredulously, changing the subject while her mind still tried to process all of the information she had just received.

"Yes. Regina Mills," Dr. Whale responded as he got a dreamy look on his face, "She's gorgeous, but she's a complete bitch. She's cold and uncaring."

_Ouch. Looks like he got shot down hard._ Emma suppressed a chuckle. "So what else can you tell about me about her Doc?"

Dr. Whale thought before answering, "I understand that you two are bitter rivals."

"Great," Emma said, sulking. She already had an enemy in this stupid town apparently. She crossed her arms, and asked, "Anything else you can tell me about myself?"

Dr. Whale rubbed his chin before responding, "I'm not that close of friends with you, but I do know that you have a son-"

"A SON?" Emma yelped, and her heart monitor increased, "Who's the father?"

"Ms. Swan! Please calm down!" Doctor Whale panicked as he checked the monitor, "His name is Henry, and well...uh..."

"What? Spit it out!" Emma was in a frenzy. She had a son? Maybe it wasn't the best idea to inquire about her life.

"You gave him up for adoption, and then the Mayor adopted him and now he lives with her," he blurted out in a rush.

Emma slumped back in the pillows. It was a lot to process. The doctor seemed to sense that, and sat on the bed with her, seemingly to offer support, but Emma just felt uneasy with him so close. _I understand that you two are bitter rivals_. The doctor's words echoed in her ears, and she suddenly was gripped by a sudden urge to find out more about this mysterious mayor who was apparently the new mother of her son.

"Well anything else you can tell me?" Emma asked desperately.

"Well, uh," the doctor looked flustered, "Like I said before, I don't know you that well so-"

"How about telling her when she'll be released?" a cool voice washed over Emma and she snapped her head to the door to find herself gawking at an incredibly alluring brunette. _She is gorgeous. Whoa. Her outfit really accentuates her long legs! Her dark brown eyes are so expressive...and those lips!_ Emma felt herself swoon inside, but she firmly pulled herself together and promptly snapped her mouth shut when she saw the goddess-like woman smirk at her. It probably wasn't good to be ogling at a complete stranger. '_Well, to me at least,' _she added in her mind.

"M-Mayor Mills!" the doctor jumped up.

_Ah. Great. I was just caught staring at my supposedly arch-nemesis. _Emma felt like smacking her hand on her forehead, but she refrained and tried to sit up straighter.

"Well now that we've established that you know my name," the dark-haired beauty sneered, "Will you be as so kind to answer my question?"

"Yes," Doctor Whale gulped, "Uh, Ms. Swan will be able to be released tomorrow."

"Unacceptable," she snapped, never taking her eyes off of Emma's green ones, "Ms. Swan will be leaving with me today."

Ignoring Emma's little gasp of surprise, he stammered, "T-today?"

"Now would be a good time Doctor," her lips curled into a predatory smile.

"Okay. I uh, just gonna need you to fill out some paperwork," the nervous doctor quickly walked away.

When he was gone, Regina turned to Emma who was still eyeing her with a lustful gaze and gave her a smile. Emma caught her breath. _How the hell was this lady my enemy?_

"Hello Emma," the mayor said, gliding over to the bedside.

"Uh, hi!" Emma swore in her head. That was the best she could come up with?

"My name is Regina Mills," she said, sitting down in a chair by her bed.

"Um, thank you for saving my life," Emma smiled. Regina was temporarily dazed. Her swan was still beautiful, even with the iv's hooked up in her.

"It was nothing dear," Regina waved her hand.

"So are we really bitter enemies?" Emma asked.

"We were," Regina sighed, "Before we became...closer."

"Oh," Emma blushed before changing the subject, "Thank you also for getting me get out of here today."

Regina's response was to brush Emma's hair out of her face and Emma's heart monitor started beeping wildly, much to her chagrin. Regina just smirked.

"I have the papers Madame Mayor," Doctor Whale said upon returning.

Regina completed the paperwork, and within the hour, Emma was discharged from the hospital and comfortably sitting in Regina's Mercedes driving to her house.

**A/N: Thanks so much guys! Please please please review! I can't become a better writer without them! :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: Once Upon a Time does not belong to me. Sad face.**

**A/N: So sorry it took me so long to update! Once again, thank you all so much for your awesome reviews! You guys rock! :) Am I'm supposed to respond to them through PM? I'm still kinda new...sooo. S****o sorry if I am supposed to! Thank you for sticking with me! :) Special thanks to: minxfan613, ShadowTeenGirl, mar, and Darkshadow-lord.**

"Emma!" an enthusiastic voice squealed. Emma barely had time to absorb the feel of Regina's house before something tackled her and wrapped its arms around her middle. She inhaled sharply, trying to block out the momentary dizziness and pain she felt. Being a coma for a while can do that to a person.

"Henry!" Regina's voice snapped. "Emma is obviously in a lot of pain and you just made it worse."

The 'something' stepped back and Emma found herself looking at a boy that looked about 10. His hazel eyes were etched with worry as he stared back at her. _Oh my God. That's my son._ Emma started hyperventilating.

"I'm so sorry Emma!" he exclaimed, clutching his hands behind his back.

Emma felt her heart melt at the kid's sorrowful expression and responded, "It's alright. It doesn't hurt that bad."

But her body betrayed her and she swayed on the spot.

"Ms. Swan!" an arm wrapped under her ribcage and supported her. Emma weakly smiled at the source of the assistance and was rewarded with a small smile crinkling brown eyes in return.

"Oh my God Emma!" another voice cried. This time, Emma was faced with a pretty woman with pixie-cut black hair. The woman rushed towards her, but Regina held up her hand to stop her. The woman faltered before frowning at her, but she stopped, much to Emma's relief. She'd just recovered from the boy's hug, and couldn't handle another one.

"Are you alright?" the ink-black haired female fretted.

"Uh, yeah," Emma cleared her throat, finding her voice again. She looked to Regina for help when she couldn't remember the woman's name.

"Ms. Blanchard, Henry," Regina addressed both of them. "May I talk to you both in the other room?"

They furrowed their brows, but did as she asked. Regina slid her arm down to Emma's waist and tightened her hold gently. Emma looked at her and was once again struck dumb by the other woman's sensuous beauty. Their proximity made her beauty even more accentuated, and Emma's eyes hungrily took it all in. _She said that we got past the enemy stage, right?_

"Would you like to go to the couch?" Regina smirked, noticing that Emma's eyes had gone glassy. Emma shook her head and nodded, still not being able to form a coherent sentence. She gently tried to step out of the other woman's embrace, but Regina tightened it further-yet not to the point where she felt any pain.

"To make sure you don't fall again," Regina repeated the same words that Emma had told her when they were in the snow, liking the look of shock flitting across Emma's face. She led the blonde to the couch and gently set her down, noticing with glee the small pout that Emma showed when she removed her arm. "I'll be right back," Regina breathed, looking in Emma's eyes. Emma sighed happily and wriggled down in the couch further to get comfortable.

* * *

"What was wrong with Emma?" Mary Margaret blurted out when Regina came into the room.

"Yea," Henry chimed in. "She looked like she didn't recognize us!"

"That's because...she didn't," Regina answered, feeling tears well up before she hastily blinked them away. She could not fall apart in front of _her._

"What?" They both gasped in unison.

"She has amnesia," Regina explained. "I don't know how long she will have it. It could be temporary, or for the rest of her life. Our job is to help her not become overwhelmed with everything. We need to show her love and patience until she remembers."

Mary Margaret was gaping and Henry was silently crying.

"W-wait," Henry sniffed, "it's possible that she's not going to remember us...ever?"

"Yes. That is possible," Regina responded, her own heart clenching at the thought. _I hate_ _Rumple_ was the only thought running through her mind, but she had more pressing matters to attend held open her arms and Henry rushed into the comfortable embrace.

"Oh geez," Mary Margaret breathed.

"But at least she's here, right?" Henry's small voice made Regina's heart tighten all over again. "And she'll stay?"

"Yes Henry," she responded, dropping a kiss on his head. "As for your second question, I will try my hardest to make her remain here."

"She's staying here?" Mary Margaret asked incredulously. Regina glared up at her. She certainly wasn't going to get a hug too.

"Yes," Regina responded curtly.

"But-"

"Ms. Blanchard. I assume that Emma has told you about us?"

"Yes, but-"

"Don't you think that she'll remember better if she's around her love and son?" Regina raised an eyebrow.

"Fine," Mary Margaret gave easily before frowning and adding, "but you had better tell me the first sign she has when she starts to remember."

"I promise dear," Regina smirked. "You'd better get home. It's morning already, and you should be getting some rest."

Mary Margaret rolled her eyes and walked out of the room. Regina could hear her chatting to Emma, and sighed. She refocused her attention on her-no _their_ son who was now fast asleep. She allowed a small smile to grace her features and picked Henry up in her arms. She walked out of the room and saw Mary Margaret sweep out of the door before she gently closed it behind her.

"Regina?" Emma said softly.

"Yes?" Regina's eyes softened.

"Thank you."

"It's my pleasure Emma," Regina smiled. "Now come up to bed."

Regina turned with Henry still in her arms and started walking up the stairs. Emma hopped off of the couch before she winced at the quick action.

"And try to not kill yourself in the process," Regina threw over her shoulder. Emma was about to protest before she saw Regina's soft smile to let her know that she was kidding, and happily hurried up the stairs after her. After Regina had tucked Henry into bed, she closed the door and turned to face Emma who had been patiently watching them.

"So Ms. Swan," Regina teased slightly, "time for bed?"

"Finally!" Emma exclaimed rather loudly before Regina clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Shh," Regina murmured. Emma tried to focus on her breathing, but found that she couldn't when Regina's gorgeous eyes were boring into hers. "You'll sleep in my room. I want you close in case anything happens." Emma couldn't breathe after she heard the almost-sultry taint in her voice. _Stop it Emma, or whoever the hell you are. Regina is not flirting. There is no hidden meaning-no double entendre. _But Emma found it hard to believe herself when she looked in Regina's eyes. Regina held out her hand and Emma clasped it with a smile. Regina interwove her fingers with Emma's, locking them firmly. Emma almost fainted. They went down the hallway and Emma couldn't help the gasp of surprise when she saw the Mayor's bedroom. It was pure white. It looked clean; something that she loved. Regina gently released Emma's hand and disappeared into her closet.

"Here are some pajamas," Regina responded a moment later, holding sweatpants and a long-sleeved tee-shirt. Emma gratefully took them and went into the closet to change. Regina went to the bathroom to go through her daily night routine. Both of them emerged from their places at the same time; Regina fresh-faced without makeup on, and Emma clad in the clothes Regina gave her (the tee-shirt being a little tight). Both of the women let their gazes run over the other's body, both secretly enjoying what they saw. Then, snapping out of it, they strode across the chamber and went into the room that the other woman had just exited. When they were both ready for bed, they went came out again and stood in the same position that they were before-just on opposite sides of the room. Emma awkwardly shifted her weight while she waited for Regina to make the first move. Regina moved swiftly to the giant king-sized bed that seemed to dominate the whole room and pulled back the covers before she rested her hand on top of the sheet.

"Come now," Regina slowly smiled. "I won't bite."

Emma gulped before she shuffled over to the other side of the bed and climbed in. Regina followed suit, and turned out the light after she got in. She snuggled deep into the bed and heard Emma do the same.

"Good night Emma," Regina said softly.

"Good night Regina," Emma replied, just as softly. "Thank you so much again."

They laid on their backs for a while before Emma rolled to face Regina and dozed off, both mentally and physically exhausted. Regina turned on her side and looked at her princess' peaceful face. She felt tears well up when she thought of the possibility of Emma not ever remembering. She had been selfish when she made that stupid deal with Rumpelstiltskin. Sobbing quietly, she gently reached over and combed her fingers through the golden locks. Emma sighed in her sleep and wriggled closer to the comforting touch. Regina played with Emma's hair for a while before her eyes too, drooped closed. Quietness descended over the two sleeping women and the whole house slept.

******A/N: Longer chapter this time :) Also. I couldn't help the little bit of fluff with Regina and Emma in the end. :) I'm going to be on vacation for about two weeks, so it might be a while before I update again. Who knows though? I might update this weekend! Remember, more reviews=more chapters :) Thanks again so much!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: Usual**

**A/N: I'm so so sorry that it's taken me so long to update! I got back from New York, and was so inspired to write my other story about Devil Wears Prada. I promise I shall not neglect this story for so long again! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed/read/PM-ed me. **

Emma sighed and fluttered open her eyes before she gasped. Not even three feet away from her face laid the most gorgeous woman she'd ever seen. Emma rolled on her back and stared at the ceiling as it all came crashing back to her. The accident. Her damn amnesia. Henry and Ms. Blanchard greeting her last night with love. And the amazing woman who was responsible for taking care of her…Regina. Emma breathed the name out loud as the realization struck her before turning her head back to the side and facing the beauty again.

She took advantage of the brunette's sleeping state to study her. There were little frown marks furrowed in her brow, and Emma felt an overwhelming tenderness take over her when she saw them. She wanted to reach her hand out and brush them away. Her sea-green eyes roamed hungrily over the other woman's face, taking in the exquisite shadows that formed from the rising sun as it peeked through the curtains. Regina's mouth was open a little bit in a pout and she was breathing silently. Emma hesitantly reached out a finger before retreating it hastily. _What are you doing? Wait. Stop being a wimp Emma-or whoever the hell you are. _Taking a deep breath, Emma extended her hand again and began tracing Regina's flawless face. Emma marveled at her beauty. There was no way that the brunette's complexion could be that good without foundation-could it?

Her fingertips tingled every time they passed over one of Regina's seemingly perfect features. Emma started at her forehead, and gently stroked the frown marks that had been bugging her, marveling in the fact that they disappeared as soon as she touched them. Regina sighed and Emma froze before realizing that she was still asleep, and she was safe to continue her exploration. Her nimble fingers caressed the bridge of Regina's nose and dipped into her slight Cupid's Bow before tracing the faint outline of a scar above her upper lip. Emma frowned. What had happened? Shaking the feeling of protectiveness for this woman that she barely knew, she resumed her observation. Emma finally reached those succulent lips that had entranced her ever since she saw the woman in the hospital. The lips were parted, and Emma could feel the soft exhale that Regina emitted. The air was warm and sweet, and Emma gasped at the sensation. It really was an intimate gesture, normally reserved for lovers, but Emma didn't care. All that mattered to her was to feel Regina as much as she could before she woke up and threw Emma out on her ass for sexual assault. Regretfully removing her digits from the dark-haired woman's lips, she gently drew small circles on the side of her cheek. A startled gasp shook Emma out of her musings, and she found herself looking into dark pools of molten chocolate. _Shit. Shit. Triple shit._

"Uh," Emma stuttered as she yanked her arm back like it was touching a hot burner. Regina looked at her in wonder before reaching out her own hand and grabbing Emma's, tugging on it gently. Emma let out a startled squeak and didn't make any attempt to move her hand. Regina's response was to tug harder and Emma finally came to her senses and let Regina take control of her hand. Regina put Emma's hand in its former position on her face and covered it with her own, effectively trapping it. Emma inhaled sharply and looked at Regina's face, which was now glowing with happiness. Regina allowed her real smile to creep on her face, and closed her eyes as she hummed quietly. Emma laid there quietly, content with the knowledge that Regina wasn't going to throw her out on her ass. She initiated the second contact, and seemed quite satisfied doing it too. After what seemed like hours, but was probably only a couple of more minutes, Regina released her hold on Emma's hand on her face and opened her eyes again.

"Good morning," Regina said in a slightly husky voice.

"'Morning," Emma smiled.

Regina's eyes were soft at first when she stared into Emma's, but then they turned hard and Emma flinched. Noticing the change, Regina tried to release some of the tension she was feeling, but Emma still noticed the fury residing in the dark pupils and shrank away. Regina's response was to shoot out her hand and cradle Emma's face. Her fingertips traced the bruise that Graham had left-though Emma didn't know that it was Graham's doing.

"That must've happened from the car wreck," Emma said weakly, knowing that the bruise was what had made Regina so mad. But why? That shouldn't have made her that angry.

"I can't believe he hurt your beautiful face. I was such a fool for letting you go on your own," Regina muttered.

"He?" Emma was really confused.

"Nothing," Regina forced a smile. "Don't worry. I shall be getting him back."

"Ok?" Emma raised her eyebrow before choosing to drop the subject.

"So how are you feeling this morning Emma?" Regina changed the topic.

Emma took a moment to consider the question. She mentally ran through all of her body's feelings before responding, "Eh, I'm okay. My ribs kind of hurt though and I'm a little hungry. And I feel really weak. But other than that, I feel alright."

"The doctor told me that you were going to being sore and tired for a while, but you can take Advil for the pain and the tiredness will go away after your body starts to heal itself," Regina said before sitting up and climbing out of bed. She made her way over to the bathroom and tossed over her shoulder, "Help yourself to any of the clothes in the closet. By the way-" Regina winked, "I enjoyed the wake-up call this morning." Then she sauntered into the bathroom and pulled the door shut, leaving a bewildered Emma gaping after her.

Emma shook her head. She gingerly got up out of bed and carefully stretched. Ouch. That hurt. She stood up shakily and made her way over to the huge closet. A sense of déjà-vu took over her and she cried out, clutching her head in her hands. She remembered looking at photos of the boy-Henry while she waited for Regina to come back with her pajamas. She remembered feeling overwhelming sadness because she wasn't there to see her son grow up, and she remembered Regina comforting her as she tried to fight off her tears.

"Emma?" the present Regina's voice was panicked. Before Emma realized what was happening, she felt warmth encompass her and a body pressed up against her own. Gasping from the vivid flashback, Emma clutched to Regina desperately as her scattered mind tried to make sense of what it had just seen. After a while, her erratic breathing calmed down and she lifted her head to meet Regina's worried eyes.

"What happened?" Regina asked, secretly delighting in the feel of Emma in her arms before she mentally scolded herself when her princess was obviously in pain.

"Memories," Emma responded, biting her lower lip in a fashion that Regina found very endearing.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Regina stroked her hand gently against Emma's back.

"Well, it wasn't much. Just that I remember that you were getting clothes and I felt really depressed when I looked at your photos of Henry. It was like someone had reached in and squeezed my heart really hard-but not in a good way," Emma started trembling suddenly, and then much to her chagrin, she started sobbing.

"Honey," the term of endearment slipped past Regina's lips, "please tell me what's wrong."

"I can't believe that I would forget my own son. I don't know why I ever gave him up for adoption, but the pain that I felt in that moment was almost unbearable. I'm an awful parent," Emma sniffed out as she raised both hands up to her face to muffle the crying sounds. She buried her head in Regina's shoulder, thankful that the calm woman was there to help her.

"Oh Emma," Regina slid her arms down to Emma's lower back and tightened them since it was easier to hold her like that, "please don't cry. You gave Henry up for adoption because it was _his_ best option. You did the best thing for him."

A pause. Then a muffled, "What if I never remember Regina? I can't keep living like this! And it's only been a day!"

"I swear Emma Swan," Regina said forcefully, nudging Emma's head up with her nose, "I promise that you will have all of your memories back."

Emma wordlessly nodded before tucking her head back into the crook of Regina's neck and sighing gently. This time, Emma wrapped her arms around Regina's middle and held her closer. Regina rested her cheek on blonde curls, feeling the last of her tears slide down her neck.

"Thank you so much Regina," Emma breathed from her place in Regina's neck.

Regina gently rocked Emma from side to side before Emma looked up and crinkled her puffy eyes in a smile.

"Ready to change now?" Regina quirked an eyebrow up. She nodded and Regina reluctantly stepped out of the embrace before clutching Emma's hand and walking side-by-side into the closet.

Moments later, they both emerged fully dressed. Since Emma was still weak, Regina had to help her get into her shirt-something Emma hated. She hated feeling frail and delicate, but she couldn't deny that she loved the feeling of Regina's soft hands running over her arms and stomach as she tugged the shirt on. Emma went to the restroom, thankful that she wasn't that feeble to need assistance to go to the bathroom. When she came out, Regina was patiently waiting for her- much to her surprise, and helped Emma down the stairs and into the kitchen, where Henry was waiting them.

"Hi Emma!" he exclaimed with a huge smile on his face.

"Hey kid!" Emma responded, grinning back, but still feeling a little raw. Regina saw the slight strain in her love's eyes, and she squeezed Emma's hand to comfort her. Emma looked at Regina and gave her a small smile before squeezing it back in return.

"I made you breakfast Emma," Henry said proudly, gesturing to the table that was set. "There's oatmeal and bananas and I was going to make you hot chocolate, but apparently we don't have any."

"Hot chocolate with cinnamon?" Emma blurted.

"Yeah!" Henry exclaimed excitedly. "You remember that you love hot chocolate with cinnamon!"

"Yes I do!" Emma said, shaking her head in disbelief.

"See Emma?" Regina gently nudged her. "I told you that you would remember in good time."

Emma nodded and beamed.

"Mom! Mom!" Henry shouted.

"Henry!" Regina scolded. "Stop shouting! We are not in opposite corners of the house."

"Sorry," Henry said in a tone of voice that implied that he really didn't care-he was too busy dancing around, "maybe we should take Emma to Granny's! Then she can have hot chocolate and more of her memories will return!"

Regina turned to Emma, "Do you want to?"

"Sure," Emma responded, "but I'd hate for all of this delicious breakfast to go to waste!"

"Tell you what," Regina tapped her index finger on her lip, "Henry, since you have already eaten, go and change out of your pajamas. For goodness sakes, it's already 10. Emma and I will eat while you get ready."

"Sounds good!" Henry tackled her in a hug before turning to Emma and giving her a gentle one.

"Thanks so much for breakfast Henry," Emma said as she hugged him back.

"Yes Henry," Regina added, "thank you."

Henry grinned before shooting away and bounding up the stairs to his room.

"So Ms. Swan," Regina quirked an eyebrow, "ready to eat?"

* * *

Breakfast was calming for both women. They enjoyed each other's presence as they ate in companionable silence. Regina cleared the dishes and swatted away Emma's hands when she tried to help.

"You were in a coma dear," Regina said as she began cleaning the dishes, "I can't have you doing something strenuous as washing the dishes!"

Emma rolled her eyes at that-dishes weren't that hard to do, but she appreciated the thoughtfulness of the brunette. She like the domestic-ness that came with washing the dishes, and seeing Regina do it was, well…It made her feel warm and happy inside. Henry came down and gave Emma some company as Regina finished loading the dishwasher. Wiping her hands on a towel, she turned her lithe body to face Henry and Emma who were engaged in a conversation that made both of them laugh. Feeling her own heart expand with joy, she made her way over to where they were sitting and rested her right hand on her hip as her left hand resided on the back of a chair.

Emma looked up and her eyes went unfocused as she took in the brunette's stance. It was normally a casual position, but when Regina did it, it looked very sensual. Emma gulped as Regina smirked.

"Ready?" Regina almost purred. She would have gone all-out on seducing Emma, but her 10-year old kid was there, and she didn't want to have to pay for more counseling.

Emma coughed and stood up. "Yeah."

Henry raced outside and hopped into the back of Regina's Mercedes. Regina and Emma soon followed and climbed in too-Emma in the passengers seat and Regina in the drivers.

"You're gonna love Granny's!" Henry was practically bouncing with excitement. "You'll be re-introduced to everyone! Granny herself, her granddaughter, Ruby, and whoever else is in there at the time! It's only 10:45, so there will be lots of people in there for brunch or something. Like…."

Emma smiled weakly and tried to keep up with the kid's babble about all of the people that she was going to meet. Swallowing deeply, Emma hoped desperately that maybe meeting the people that she knew before her accident would restore her memory, and maybe she would finally figure out what had happened between her and the town's Mayor. No matter what happened, Emma knew that she had feelings for the gorgeous woman. Although Regina's look certainly helped with Emma's attraction, it was so much more that that. Regina had taken Emma home with her and got her released from the hospital a whole day early. She had listened to Emma, and had given her both physical and emotional support-all while Emma was bawling her eyes out on her shoulder. Hell, Regina even did the dishes for her! Emma resolved to fight for the alluring brunette-no matter what the cost. With that thought in her mind, she settled back down into the plush seat and tried her hardest to keep up with all of the people Henry was listing off.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Hi again. Sorry for the wait..schools started and I'm extremely busy :( Thanks everybody! Katerina, I love your suggestion of Emma becoming a wolf, and would love to use it, but I don't want to steal your idea! Please review and tell me if you're sure :) You guys rock!**

Regina barely shifted the gear into park before Henry shot out of the back of the car in a frenzy.

"Henry!" Regina scolded. "Wait until the car has _completely_ stopped before jumping out next time!"

"Alright. Hurry up!" Henry replied over his shoulder before speeding into Granny's. What could he say? He needed his birth mother to remember, and he didn't want to wait another minute. Emma chuckled softly before unbuckling herself and getting out of the car. She squinted at the green and red neon lights that proudly spelled out 'Granny's Diner' with an arrow underneath it. Nothing. No recollection of anything. Emma sighed and shut the passenger door before contemplating the sign again with her arms crossed. Regina got out and walked up to Emma before stopping next to her and pondering the sign too.

"Anything?" Regina asked, already knowing the answer by frustrated look on Emma's face. Emma silently shook her head. Regina's heart sank when she remembered that she was the cause of Emma's amnesia and her face fell before she had time to school her features.

"Hey," Emma nudged her slightly when she noticed the look on the brunette's face, "it's okay. I'm sure I'll remember soon enough."

Regina forced a small smile to grace her face before she gently placed her hand on the middle of Emma's jacket-covered back. "Come on. Our son is waiting for us." Regina escorted her to the entrance of Granny's Diner without removing her hand- something Emma savored since it gave her a sense of protection and security. Regina opened the door one-handed and guided Emma in ahead of her.

"Oh my god!" Ruby rushed over to Emma, not even noticing the Mayor. "Are you ok? I've been so worried!"

"Uh..." Emma mumbled before looking back at Regina for help.

"Ms. Lucas. If you would be so kind as to do your job and seat us, I'm sure that I would be happy to explain after I'm sitting," Regina sneered. She didn't like Ruby's usual provocative outfit. Ruby's white shirt was tied up to expose her midsection and her skirt barely grazing mid-thigh-something that wouldn't usually bother Regina until Emma came along. She didn't want Emma to run off with some brunette with red highlights. Ruby's eyebrows shot up, but she led them to where Henry was sitting silently. Regina softly pushed Emma in first so she would be a barrier in between her and Ruby. Regina subtly shifted her body so she was closer to Emma and could feel her body heat.

"So, uh. What would you like Madame Mayor?" Ruby said, still in disbelief. It was a well-known fact in Storybrooke that the Sheriff and the Mayor detested each other, so it came as a huge shock to her that they would be dining together _civilly._

_"_Water is fine," Regina responded crisply.

"How about you Emma?" Ruby asked

"She'll have hot chocolate with cinnamon on top!" Henry blurted. "I'll have the same."

Ruby nodded and spun away, her hips swaying back and forth. Regina noticed with relief that Emma wasn't watching Ruby's little show, but that vanished when she saw her son's starstruck face.

"Henry!" Regina hissed. "Stop ogling Ruby!"

Henry cleared his throat and looked everywhere instead of Regina and Emma with extreme embarrassment. Emma laughed, which distracted Regina from scolding her son.

"He's a normal 11-year old boy Regina," Emma said, still chuckling. "He knows when he sees a good-looking woman!"

Regina wished that she could magic Ruby to kingdom come and back. Scratch that. She wished she could _zap_ Ruby to kingdom come and never make her come back. Ever.

"Besides, aren't those hormones supposed to come in a little later?" Emma joked. "You're gonna give your mom a heart attack!" With those words, Emma squeezed Regina's arm, which made Regina feel a little better. She was still going to zap Ruby though when she got her magic back. Ruby came back with their drinks, and leaned over when she set them down. Henry's mouth dropped open before he quickly morphed it into a yawn while Regina observed him and rolled her eyes. Thank the lord that Emma didn't seem to show any reaction to Ruby's blatantly displayed cleavage.

"So, Madame Mayor," Ruby leaned on the table with her hip jutted out and her left hand on it. She bent down so she could talk to Regina without being heard.

Regina raised an eyebrow. "Yes Ms. Lucas?"

"What's up with you and the-" Ruby waggled her eyebrows suggestively, "Sheriff?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but Em-Ms. Swan has gotten into a car accident and has lost her memory. I am here simply to help." Regina enjoyed the little gasp Ruby emitted and the shock that spread across her face.

"Emma was in a car accident?" Ruby gasped. She wondered why Mary Margaret wasn't taking of her, but she realized that it didn't matter. As long as Emma looked physically and emotionally fine in Regina's care, who was she to judge? Besides, she was far to concerned about Emma's well-being now to worry about her living accommodations.

"Yes. She hit a patch of ice and spun out of control. She lost her memory and doesn't remember anything. We took her here to help jog her memory a bit," Regina swallowed. It was all her fault that her princess got hurt.

"Poor Emma," Ruby said sadly. The door dinged, announcing the arrival of another customer. "I gotta go take care of them. Let me know if Emma needs anything." Regina gave her a sickly sweet smile, nodded, and Ruby stood up. She brushed herself off and strutted over to seat him.

Regina turned her attention back towards Emma and Henry, who were having an animated discussion about hot chocolate. She watched in rapture when Emma scooped up some whipped cream with flecks of cinnamon in it, and slipped it into her wet mouth to clean it off. It was possibly the sexiest thing she'd seen the blonde do. Slamming her thighs together, Regina mentally cursed. She did not need the distraction of Emma sexily sucking off her finger. Maybe hot chocolate was a bad idea. Pulling herself together and ignoring her libido, Regina tried to focus on the conversation, occasionally sipping on her water.

When the three were done, Regina slipped some bills on the table and slid out of the booth. "Thanks," Emma smiled. Regina wordlessly nodded with a grin on her face, and slipped her hand back on Emma's back. Emma relaxed into the touch, and wished that Regina would do more than just her hand, but she remembered that Henry was still there, and that probably wasn't the best idea. The kid had enough hormones judging by the way he was drooling over Ruby. Emma didn't understand why some women felt the need to dress like that in public. Especially at their jobs. Emma glanced at Regina's outfit out of the corner of her eye. She looked tailored and sexy without being slutty. Exactly how a woman with a job should look. Emma snorted softly. She was eying her supposedly nemesis up and down and admiring how she dressed.

As they were walking out the door, Emma felt a strange sensation creep over her. She glanced at the table near the door and was hit with a vision. She gasped and faltered in her step. Emma foggily made out Regina's concerned voice asking her if she was okay, but she blocked it out, squeezed her eyes shut, and tried to concentrate on the vision that flashed before her eyelids. _She__ was wearing a leather jacket that smelled faintly of men's cologne and a low-cut blouse. When she looked down, she could see the tiniest bit of her breast peeking out. She remembered laughing at something a handsome man with brown curls and a brown beard had said. Her blonde hair was blowing around in the chilly winter air, but she felt warm with the person next to her._

Emma stumbled when she opened her eyes and snapped out of her trance-like state. A pair of thin arms wrapped around her middle and helped keep her standing upright.

"Are you alright?" Regina's panicked tone reached Emma's ears.

"I think I have a boyfriend," Emma said, dazed.

* * *

Regina stood at the tomb of her father with her arms wrapped around her. The chilly air blew her hair around and it helped with her already-frozen state of being. As soon as Emma said those words, Regina felt the old ugly feeling of wanting to kill somebody well up in her and she snapped her gaping mouth shut. She slid her arm around Emma's waist, tightened it, and drew her in close to her own body before exiting the diner silently. She made some excuse about going to get groceries after she had gotten Emma and Henry settled in, and left without another word. Regina knew that Graham had given Emma the nasty bruise that marred her gorgeous skin, and she'd be damned if Emma went back to him. So Regina set out to do what she should've done a long time ago when she first found out about them. She was going to kill Graham. Squeeze his heart slowly and enjoy every miserable second of it. That way, he would hopefully feel an _ounce_ of pain that she felt when she found out that he hurt _her_ Emma.

After Regina pushed away her father's coffin, she made her way down the well-worn steps as she ran her hand over the smooth wall. The only noise was the daunting sound of her heels clicking with every step she took. Skimming her fingertips over the golden chests, she felt their power and energy. It was faint, since they had been trapped so long, but it was there. The unanimous pulsating heartbeat of thousands of hearts. Landing on the one that caused her swan so much pain, she pulled it out slowly, wanting the moment to last. Regina opened the top carefully, and there it was. A red orb that throbbed with life. She picked it up and lifted it closer to her face to examine it. She sneered. "Have a nice last 30 seconds of your life Graham. I assure you, they will be the longest you will ever experience." Regina closed her hand around the heart and started to squeeze.

Instead of the pleasure she felt though, a sharp pain went through her own heart. She gasped and dropped Graham's heart on the dirty floor, where it rolled around before coming to a rest. Regina bent over, clutching her chest and inhaling sharply. "Emma," she breathed.


	14. Chapter 14

******A/N: Hi again. Sorry for the wait..schools started and I'm extremely busy :( Thanks everybody! :) I LOVE reading all of the reviews and PM's and etc. :) You guys rock!**

Emma sighed and paced back and forth across the expanse of the kitchen. The beautiful brunette was taking forever in getting back, and she was getting restless. Was she mad? Regina seemed a little peeved when they left the diner, but it didn't seem like she was mad at _her_.

"Ugh!" Emma cried out and put her hands on her forehead.

"Stop pacing, you'll wear a hole in the flooring," Henry scolded from his position on a bar stool.

"It's tile," Emma responded. "It's not going to break."

"Still, it's annoying."

"Sorry."

"Why are you so aggravated anyways?" Henry questioned. "My mom goes out every once in a while. I'm sure she'll be back soon."

"It's just that..." Emma rubbed her forehead, "what if she's mad at me? I mean, you guys have plenty of groceries. I checked! She didn't even need to go out."

"Why would she be mad at you?"

"Uh..I don't know. She was quiet on the way back from Granny's, and her demeanor was tense."

"Well maybe it was because you brought up your ex-boyfriend?"

"But why would she care about that?"

"Because-"

A knock pounded on the door, and Emma practically sprinted towards it before pulling it open. Her face fell when she saw a dark-haired man on the other side. _Stupid. Regina probably has a key. It is her own home! _

Masking her disappointment, she plastered a pleasant smile on her face and asked, "Hello. Can I help you?"

The man looked surprised then a smirk grew. "Emma? It's me, Graham?"

* * *

Regina picked up the dirty heart from the floor, stuffed in her pocket, and ran up the stairs. She didn't even take the time to push her father's coffin back in place, her thoughts revolving around Emma. She shoved the doors open, and her breath came in short puffs as the cold air stung her face. She had one goal in mind, and that was to protect Emma. She had called out for Regina, and now she was responding to that call.

* * *

"Uh, I lost my memory. Stupid amnesia," Emma tried to smile, but was unnerved by the man's sneer.

"Well, I suppose we'll just have to fix that, won't we?" Graham pushed past Emma, ignoring her cry of protest. He slammed the door shut behind him with a kick, and snatched Emma's wrist, forcing her to stumble back and lean backwards on the table. Emma's self-defense mode kicked in, and she saw red.

"Oh, the hell no!" She drew back her arm and punched him soundly in the eye, causing him to yelp out and clutch his eye. She kicked him the groin for good measure, and while he was doubled over, Emma turned and found Henry holding a knife out in front of him. While the heroic action impressed Emma, the utensil he was carrying didn't.

"Hey kid," Emma said, "give me the knife."

Henry held it out without comment, and Emma snatched it out of his grasp.

"Now go upstairs and lock the door to whatever room you're in. Do not come out unless I tell you to," Emma grasped Henry's small shoulders and looked into his eyes. "Promise?"

"Yes," Henry responded solemnly and raced up the stairs, casting one last fearful glance at her. Emma waited until she heard a door slam, and then focused her attention on the groaning man in front of her. She walked around to the other side of the table to put some distance between them, and waited for him to recover so she could talk to him and get some answers. He got up shakily, leaning on the table for support. His eye, Emma noted with glee, was now sporting a huge black bruise.

"That'll teach you never to come and threaten me or my son," Emma smirked.

It happened so fast, Emma couldn't even defend herself. One minute, Graham was doubled over in pain, and the next, his lips were on hers. He had launched himself over the table, and latched onto her. "_Regina! Help me!"_ was all Emma could think. His lips were rough against hers, and his stubble scratched at her smooth skin. Mustering up all of her strength, she raised her arms and pushed him forcefully away.

"Ugh," Emma spat, rubbing her lips furiously with the back of her hand.

She took a page out of Henry's book and held the knife in front of her, trembling slightly. Graham was panting and he wiped sweat off of his upper lip. _Pig._

"Don't you _ever_ do that again," Emma scowled.

"Or what?" Graham sneered. "You going to run me through with that knife? You don't have it in you."

"Oh I assure you Graham," Emma's glare could melt steel, "I wouldn't hesitate if you attacked me again."

"Pft," was Graham's only response.

"So who are you?" Emma began circling the table as she saw Graham inch closer to her.

"Don't you remember baby? We were-I mean _are_ dating. I don't know why you're getting so upset," he held up his arms in mock surrender.

"Henry said you were my _ex_-boyfriend," Emma was confused.

"Kids can lie."

"That doesn't even make sense. Why would Henry lie to me? Besides, _you_ were the one who came in here and attacked _me_!" _Man Emma. You suck at picking out boyfriends._

"Me? You gave me a shiner and kicked my balls!"

"I only did that because you grabbed my wrist," Emma countered.

"Grabbed is the key word in that sentence. Playfully, babe!"

"Stop calling me babe," Emma frowned. She looked at her wrist. There were faint outlines of nail marks, but nothing that would be permanent. "You're lying about everything. I'm nobody's babe."

"Except mine," a cool voice washed over Emma, and she glanced over to find Regina standing in the doorway with her arms crossed. Somehow, when the breath-taking brunette said it, it didn't bother her. In fact, it gave her a sense of comfort. Regina was there, and she was going to make everything better.

"Regina," Emma breathed.

"Are you alright?" Regina looked only at Emma.

"Yes, now that you're here," Emma blushed.

Regina strode over to where Emma was standing, and gently ran her hands up and down the blonde's arms, leaving goosebumps in its wake.

"Did he hurt you?" At that, Regina glared at Graham, who seemed to have lost his confident attitude, and was now cowering.

"No. Well, he...kissed me."

Regina's eyes flashed dangerously, and Graham whimpered and tried to recoil even further. "I do not appreciate _others_ kissing my girlfriend."

"G-girlfriend?!" Emma sputtered on the word.

"Yes," Regina said.

"Is that what you meant when you said that I'm your babe?" Emma's eyes shined with hope.

"Later my Emma," Regina kissed Emma's forehead and turned back to Graham, leaving Emma awestruck. "I have to take care of some...things. Can you find Henry and tell him everything's okay?"

"S-sure," Emma stuttered. "Take the knife, just in case!"

Regina smirked. "Believe me, I don't need a knife. But if it would comfort you, I'll take it."

"Thanks." Emma's hips swayed seductively as she ascended the stairs, and Regina had to rip her eyes away from the glorious image.

"Now, Graham," Regina ran her finger over the flat part of the blade and practically purred, "let's have a chat, shall we?"

**Next chapter shall be my last. Please read and review! :) Thank you so much.**


	15. Chapter 15

******A/N: Well this is it! ********(I squealed when I reached 100 reviews :)) **I can not thank all of the people who reviewed/PM'd/favorited/read enough! Especially the people who've stuck with me since the beginning. :) Love you all!** Thank you again so much.**

Regina advanced menacingly towards Graham. The pitiful excuse of a man shuddered and tried to cower further. _What a coward_, Regina thought. Smirking, she ran her fingertip along the edge of the blade slowly as she fixed Graham with a glare that could melt ice.

"So Graham. We have a lot to talk about," Regina purred. "Starting with your assault on my girlfriend."

"Y-your g-girlfriend?" Graham stuttered. "Well I didn't know you two were dating! I thought you guys hated each other!"

_He was making it all too easy. Stupid git. He's pathetic. Can't even hold up his side of an argument._

"I think you knew that. After all-" Regina paused and stalked closer, still running her finger over the blade as she smirked seductively- "that was the reason why you _hit_ my Emma."

"But, but," Graham choked on his words, "she was my girlfriend first!"

"You. Should. Never. Ever. Hit. Your. Girlfriend," Regina hissed, deliberately pausing in between each word to scare him even more.

She was beyond furious. In one swift movement, she crossed the length between herself and Graham, and had the knife against his throat. Gulping, Graham's eyes bugged out.

"And you know what happens to people who mess with the Evil Queen," Regina whispered in his ear.

Not even giving Graham a chance to respond, she drew back her arm with the knife in it, and-

"Regina!" Emma's voice rang out, halting Regina's movement.

Slowly, Regina turned to the staircase, but did not loosen her hold on Graham. "Emma darling, go back upstairs."

"Regina, please don't," Emma said softly. She started walking down the stairs, but paused in the middle. Resting her hands on the banister, she added, "It's not going to solve anything."

"Emma," Regina said impatiently, "this man _hurt_ you. I can't just stand back and not do anything." _Why couldn't Emma understand I was doing this because I love her?_

Emma descended down the stairs carefully, as if she was afraid of going too fast and startling Regina into skewering the man. Reaching the bottom, Emma glided across the floor to where Regina was. Resting her hands on the brunette's tense forearms, she relaxed when Regina released Graham and grasped her arms in return.

"Regina, I can't remember anything, but even if Graham hurt me, you've done enough," Emma chuckled. "I mean, look at him! He's about to pee his pants. I don't think I have anything to worry about, thanks to you."

Regina glared at Graham, making him whimper again before turning her attention back to the gorgeous blonde. "Oh Emma," Regina murmured. She took Emma's hands and kissed the palms, reveling in Emma's slight shiver and sharp inhale of breath.

"Also, if you were the Evil Queen at some point in your life, killing Graham won't help your reputation," Emma softly chuckled. "This could be your chance to redeem yourself."

Regina sighed. "Oh, all right. I do suppose you have a point."

A breeze rippled through the house, ruffling both women's hair.

"What was that?" Emma gasped.

Instead of answering, Regina drew Emma in closer, wrapping her left arm around her waist. Leaning in, Regina cupped Emma's cheek and drew her in for a searing kiss. Emma gasped, breaking their connection. The memories came crashing back to her, and she remembered everything. Looking up at Regina's concerned face, she touched it softly and drew her in for another kiss. The wind picked up faster, and spun them around. The two women clung onto each other tightly, lips still locked together. When they finally broke apart, they only had eyes for each other.

"How?" was Emma's only question.

"True love's kiss," Regina whispered while running her nimble fingers over Emma's lips.

"Wow," Emma breathed.

"Are you mad?" Regina panted, resting her forehead against Emma's.

"Why would I be mad?" a smile played on her lips. "Now that I have all my memories back, I think your stunt with Graham was actually really hot. Although, I am happy you didn't kill him."

"Oh, well," Regina blushed slightly. "Nobody is ever going to hurt you Emma, unless they want serious consequences. But when I asked that, I meant are you mad that you have amnesia?"

"My amnesia wasn't your fault!" Emma frowned slightly.

"Um...Actually, it is," Regina said sheepishly. "I was going to lose you, and I just couldn't let that happen. So I made a deal with Mr. Gold-or I should say Rumpelstiltskin- to save you. I was selfish, and it was unfair of me to make you lose your memories."

"Oh Regina," Emma pressed her lips quickly against Regina's. "I'm so happy you did. I don't blame you in the slightest. It was for the best, because otherwise, we wouldn't be here together. You're wonderful."

"My precious Emma," Regina sobbed with relief. "I love you."

"I love you too," Emma pulled Regina even closer to her own body, and rested her head on Regina's shoulder. It was then she realized her surroundings. "Where are we?"

"Fairytale Land. The curse has been broken."

* * *

A 13-year old boy with brown hair looked at the book that changed his life, tracing the infamous gold letters with his index finger. Flipping through the dusty pages, he stopped on the last one, and read it for the fortieth time.

_The Evil Queen found her redemption by saving the White Knight after the White Knight saved her. The evil within her died when she found her long-forgotten happiness. She gave her own heart to the White Knight willingly, and received hers in return. The people of Fairytale Land found it in their own hearts to forgive the Evil Queen for all of her wicked ways, and loved the happy couple. And everyone lived happily ever after._

"Henry! Where are you?" a voice called.

"Coming Mom!" Henry shut the book, and ran through the long corridors, shouting rushed 'hi's' to the guards who protected their castle. Finally outside, he squinted against the bright sunlight. When his eyes adjusted, he saw his birth mom standing next to his adoptive mom, who was holding a picnic basket.

"Ready to go?" Regina smiled at him.

"Definitely," Henry said happily.

"We have apples!" Emma added, smirking at Regina, who laughed in return.

As they walked, Henry fell behind so he could study his moms. Looking at their intertwined hands, he felt an overwhelming happiness. Yes, his family was truly was living happily ever after.

**Couldn't resist writing a fluffy ending! (Ps. The last part, it's supposed to be 3 years later...I know that Henry is 10 in the tv show. :))**


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